Why the Wolf Sings to the Moon
by CHIBI-CRAZY
Summary: She was the new girl. A freak among freaks, and her family's black sheep. She was all he couldn't have, but everything he wanted. They both knew this was wrong, but neither one cared. Bad summary, story's better  I hope  Lukas/OC
1. Preface

First off! To any readers who are familiar with my FFVII stories, worry not, I will get around to finishing them, but since I'm not using my own computer anymore, you will have to be patient with me until I can get those documents back.

Okay, so I know its a bad idea to be starting a new story after having just deleting one, but this idea has been burning at the back of my head since I started watching the Gates on ABC. I have a habit of falling for bad boys, so Lukas automatically became my favorite character by the second episode (I also love that he is a white wolf – my favorite), so I'm gonna try my hand at a Lukas/OC story. (Wish me luck)

I started writing this right after the eighth episode (Dog Eat Dog), so sorry if anyone seems a little ooc, I am just going by what the characters' personalities are like at this point.

Disclaimer: I am only going to do this once for the whole story, so read and/or listen carefully. I do NOT own the Gates or any of its characters. If I did, I would not be on this website writing this story.

WARNING: This story is rated M for a reason. Also, although I've never been good at writing lemons, I hope you enjoy this first chapter and feel free to give me any tips or suggestions for any future lemons (if there are any). ENJOY!

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Preface/Prologue

He knew it was wrong. They both did.

She wasn't like his kind, his pack would never allow this.

To her family, his kind were nothing but animals – creatures seen as less than dirt. Both sides would kill them for this.

But neither one cared at this point.

"Lukas...

He looked down at her, the sweat on her forehead glistening in the light of her bedside lamp. He lost himself, staring deeply into the strangely beautiful eyes staring unseeingly at him. "F-faster..." she whispered, her voice begging him.

He gave her what she wanted. Her nails dug into his skin as he thrust his hips faster and harder in between her own. The feeling of him filling her, pulling in and out of her as hard as he was going, sent her over the edge in a matter of minutes. She screamed out, not bothering to be quiet in case her family got back early. So long as his parents weren't around and no one heard them, she didn't care.

He kept thrusting, not quite reaching his climax just yet. As he took her, his animal instincts came over him. He pulled out, flipping her over and onto her hands and knees so fast she didn't realize what happened until she felt him inside again, taking her from behind.

The sounds of her moaning and crying out his name filled his ears, and the feel of her skin slapping against his was driving him crazy. He leaned over and bit into her neck, muffling his cries of ecstasy as they climaxed together. He breathed in, the smell of her scent now mixed with his sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine.

As they came down from their high, he curled himself around her small body and buried his face in her hair. She sighed, feeling his warm breath behind her ear. His deep breathing calmed her down as she started getting sleepy.

Before she completely fell into unconsciousness though, he whispered something into her ear. He said what he'd been almost afraid to admit since she told him. Something he would never admit out loud to anyone else but her.

"I love you too, Luna"

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Okay, short chapter, I know, but it _is_ just the preface. Again, any questions, comments or complaints, just send them in a review.


	2. New

Okay then, since the prologue was so short (like many of these chapters might be) I have decided to give you the first chapter as well.

Now before we continue, I would just like everyone to know that even though I started writing this by the 8th episode, the story starts a few days before "Breach", which I believe is episode three.

Also, because I'm not sure how much time passes between each episode, and since Luna isn't really going to be involved in every one and with every character, the time span between chapters may be a little off from the show. Like if I make it seem like some episodes are separated by a few chapters or something (just ignore that if you already understood and I'm just confusing you more).

This is mostly because I don't want Luna and Lukas' relationship to seem rushed, especially because Lukas just doesn't seem like the guy to fall in love quickly, and also cause he doesn't show up in every episode.

Okay, enough of that.

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Chapter One: New

The sound of a car door slamming startled her out of thoughts. She heard a snort before her sister's voice reached her ears. "Sorry, _Luna_,"

The way Carmen spoke to her younger sister, one would think she was talking to a germ. Luna was used to it though.

Turning her heard towards her sisters side of the car, she could "see" Carmen's silhouette surrounded by a cloud of muddied red. Good. That meant that she was just as upset about the move as her. Luna turned her head to hide her smirk, her forehead pressed against the window.

Finally, not even her mother's "golden child" was getting her way. So long as Carmen was miserable, she was just a bit happier.

Luna didn't even get why they were moving anyways. They were perfectly fine living in Indiana, so what was so special about this _Gates_ place? Did it have some program for the blind? She mentally snorted at that idea. _Yeah _right_,_ she thought. As if her parents would ever do some thing like this _just_ for her.

The sound of the car door opening again caused a tinny smile to appear on Luna's face. She listened as Carmen and her cousin Leah shuffled around until the latter girl was sitting right next to Luna.

She absolutely adored her older cousin, and vise-versa. They weren't joined at the hip or anything, but they had formed a special bond over time. Leah was always looking out for her cousin, but knew when to give her space and Luna appreciated that. Her cousin knew how much she hated being treated like a toddler, so she treated her like a normal person – so much so that she sometimes forgot to worn her about on-coming walls.

Leah was also the only one who knew about Luna's 'sight' – how she could see any living thing by their aura. To her, people and other living organisms where silhouettes against a cloud of color and emotions. She kept it a secret to her whole family, not wanting to be the freak among freaks – she was already the black sheep.

But she was surprised that her mother hadn't figured it out though. After all, it was her half of the family where the three girls got their 'other' sides from. Shows how much attention she shows her _blind daughter_!

"You look madder than a bull with a stick shoved up his ass," Leah giggled, probably talking to Carmen.

Luna pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, knowing that her sister could barely tolerate their cousin. Her mood was some-what less bitter now with Leah's bright yellow-green energy washing over her. That was another great thing about her cousin – her constant happy-go-lucky mood always seemed to calm her.

Luna didn't know how she did it, keeping up such a positive attitude. Even when her mother's sister and brother-in-law died, Leah had put on such a strong facade, that even her empath cousin barely picked up the underlining of depression in her bright, 'happy' aura.

It was only when Luna confronted her about hiding her grief, did Leah finally let the floodgate loose. The pain in her voice as she recalled what had happened and the sickening gray color that her aura took on was too much for Luna, but she still stayed. They stayed in her room as she held and comforted the older girl until they both fell asleep. After that night, a sort of bond began growing between them, and as they got closer, Luna trusted Leah enough to tell her all her secrets. It wasn't long before Leah's smiles were real again, and Luna thought that things could only get better.

She sighed again, thinking of how wrong she was, and mused over their current situation.

A few weeks ago, her parents invited a man named Frank Buckley over for dinner. Frank had told them about _the Gates_, a gated community that he owned, and how he thought it would be a perfect place for a family as 'special' as their own to live in. She'd had the fleeting suspicion that he new her family's secret, but never got the chance to find out because her parents had sent the three of them up to their rooms.

So now, after two weeks of her parents going back and forth, moving their furniture, clothes, etc., into their 'new home', they were leaving the neighborhood that Luna had been raised in, bringing whatever was left to bring with them. When the girls heard the news about the move, they each reacted differently on separate levels.

Carmen was furious. She had to leave her "whole entire existence behind," as she had put it. Carmen was the most popular girl in their old school. She was captain of the cheerleaders, and had been dating the star quarterback. With her light brown, almost blonde hair, and chocolate brown eyes, she was the stereotypical queen bee, and Luna's worst nightmare.

Leah didn't really seem to care about moving – though Luna could feel the relief she felt. She figured it was because she was dying for a change, a chance to trade her painful past for a clean slate. Every one knew Leah here, so they all pitied her when they found out about her parents. She just wanted that all to go away, and for people to stop feeling sorry for her.

Although Luna wouldn't of minded a fresh start as well, she had it worse off then even Carmen – as usual. She didn't really have any kind of reputation in her old school, or any friends to leave behind, but if one thought about it, she'd been the one to get the shortest end of the stick.

She may have been miserable in her old school, but at least it was familiar to her. It was one of those schools that taught grades kindergarten through 12th, so Luna had had years to become acquainted with where everything was. The same with her house. She grew up in that house, so she'd had her whole life to learn where every nook and cranny was. She could walk around every room without any help and avoid running into any furniture. That had been the one thing her parents had done for her – keep everything in the same place for the past fifteen years.

But now they were moving, leaving all that was familiar to her behind. They may as well just send her to hell already. Now, she'll need someone to help and guide her around. She'd have to worry about running into things and not knowing where stuff was. She could end up lost and alone. Or, even worse, they'll make her use a _white cane_. She mentally shuddered at that thought.

She already hated being blind, with people staring at her, pitying her, and treating her like some helpless toddler. Getting a cane, or even a seeing-eye-dog, to her, would be like submitting to her disability. Not everyone could tell she was blind, but if they saw her with a white stick or a dog on a harness, they would, and things would just be worse for her.

The sound of the SUV starting up made her jump. When did her parents even get in? She felt the vehicle jerk backwards as her dad reversed out of their once-drive way, before his voice filled the car. "So, you ladies excited yet?"

The smile was back on Luna's lips. She'll admit, her dad may neglect the fact that his youngest child is blind, but she loved him anyway. He was like her second rock, her first being Leah. When ever she got in it with her mother or fight with Carmen, he'd be there for her and listen to her side of then story. He loved his little girl, even if his wife didn't.

"You betcha, _Tio _Leo!" Leah happily replied.

Carmen's anger flared, and Luna didn't need to see to know that her sister was sending a death glare towards the back of her father's head.

Leo looked back at Luna through the rear view mirror. "What about you, _mija_?"

She shrugged, giving him the silent treatment as punishment for making them move. He pouted, though it was wasted on her. "Aw, come on Lulu," He said, using the nickname that everyone but him stopped using after she turned ten, "You know you can't stay mad at me. It'll be okay. You'll like this place, I promise,"

"It doesn't matter if _she_ likes it or not!" Carmen finally yelled, and Luna rolled her eyes. She'd been waiting for her sister to burst, just to get it over with already. "_She_ didn't have a _life_ here. Leah and I are the one's leaving everything behind. What did I do to _deserve_ thi-"

"_There's a place downtown_

_where the freaks all come around_

_It's a whole in the wall, its_

_a dirty free for all_"

Luna hid her smirk again as her dad suddenly cranked up the radio, and Carmen's rant was cut off by Kesha's _Take it Off_. **(A/N: Hehe, I was writing her rant when that song came on)**

"Ugh!" Carmen screamed over the music.

Leah pressed her head into Luna's shoulder, not even trying to hide her laughter.

Anna scowled, at her husband and niece before turning the radio off completely. "That's _enough_!" She commanded. She turned her head to look at Carmen and smiled sweetly. "I'm so sorry, _mi niña, _but its for the best. Anyway, I'm sure that you'll be more than qualified to join the_ Gates Academy_ cheer leading squad." Then she finished with a smirk, "And I bet there will be plenty of cute boys for you to try your charm on."

Luna scoffed, causing her mother to turn in her direction and glare at her. "And I expect for _you_ to behave yourself and stay out of trouble." Luna frowned, her mother's darkened mood making her want to squirm, "I don't want you ruining you sister or Lee lee's reputation."

Her mother turned back around and Luna rolled her eyes. It's not like anyone would even notice her, so how could she ruin _any_ reputation? She lost herself in her thoughts again, thinking about, and dreading, their new life at _the Gates_. Leaning back in her seat, she listened as her father turned the radio back on. Within a few minutes, she'd drifted off to the soft opening of Katy Perry's _Teenage Dream_.

"_You think I'm pretty_

_without any make up on_

_You think I'm funny, when_

_I tell the punch line wrong_

_I know you get me, So_

_I let my walls come down_

_down..."_

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And, cut! I hope you liked these two chapters, and that you'll review at least one of them. I do not own either of the two songs mentioned in this chapter, I simply added them because they were playing as I was writing and I thought they'd be a nice touch.

Now, I would just like you to know that if I do not receive at least five reviews by next week, I will not continue posting. I will try to post every week (so a new chapter for each episode), but if I start to lag behind, do not panic. I _am_ planning on finishing this story, even if it means gluing my laptop to my lap!(Pun intended!)

So review!

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	3. Dream

**Alright! I'm only posting one chapter today (Be thankful cuz I'm posting early). But, I'm very excited because Lukas is making his first appearance in this chapter...well, sorta. You'll see...**

**But first! I wanna give a ****special shout out to Superdani a. for being this story's first reviewer, and for building my confidence about continuing to write this. So much so that I decided to post this today instead of waiting a full week. Also, I put up a link on ****my profile for a picture of Luna. Of course the eyes are wrong, but it was the best I could do, and I really liked it.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter Two: Dream

Luna was woken up by someone shaking her. "C'mon Luna," came Leah's voice, "We're close!"

She groaned, discouraged by the fact that the move hadn't been a dream. Of course, she could moan and groan all she wanted, but there was nothing that could spoil Leah's mood at this point. "Oh, suck it up, will you?" her cousin said, "We're coming up to the main gate!"

"It's _huge_!" Carmen gasped, "Is this a neighborhood, or a _prison_?"

Everyone ignored her question as Leo came up to the entrance. "Good evening," Luna heard a male's voice say, "How may I help you?"

Leo smiled at the young guard as he answered, "My name is Mr. Leo Amador, and this," he gestured to the rest of the cars' occupants, "is my family,"

"Oh!" the guard suddenly sounded excited, and Luna couldn't help but smile at his quick change of mood – it was almost childlike. "Yes, Mr. Amador! We've been expecting you." He suddenly paused, as if remembering something important, "But, uh…I'm going to need some ID first."

She heard her dad chuckle as he adjusted himself to be able to reach his wallet, and flashed his license. The guard sighed – it sounded as if he'd just passed some sort of important test – then began handing what sounded like a package of papers to her dad. "Okay then!" the excitement was back, "Here is your welcome packet. There are your house keys – one for each resident. And these are the class schedules for the lovely young ladies in the back. My name Eddie Barnes," He paused, whether because he was taking a breath or he realized he was babbling, Luna wasn't sure, "Welcome to _the Gates_, Mr. Amador. I hope you enjoy living here,"

His footsteps faded away as he walked back to his post. "What a weirdo," Carmen blurted, "I mean seriously, was he bipolar or something?" Luna rolled her eyes as her mother shushed her.

She relaxed as her dad drove through the gate, and as the sound of the iron bars closing echoed in her ears she wondered if that was the last time they ever would. Her mood was spoiled though, when Leah and Carmen began to 'ooh' and 'ah' at whatever they were seeing. _Sure wish _I_ could see it_, she thought bitterly.

Her cousin noticed the sour look on her face, and quickly began explaining the reason for their awe. "It's like a little town. There's a whole bunch of little shops, and sidewalks everywhere...And pretty trees?" The last part was whispered, and sounded more like an offer.

Luna loved trees and other plants, something that her cousin was very aware of. She was so fond of them because of how calming their bright auras were. Sitting up so that she could 'peek' out her window, she smiled at the white energy radiating off of the trees, grass, and any other plant or flower they passed. She could see bright red clouds of children playing outside, and whatever pets were being walked at the moment. The only thing Luna loved more than plants, were animals. She could always tell them apart from other living things because their auras always extended farther out than a humans'.

"Oh, look up here, girls!" Her mother said, excitement filling her voice.

Leah leaned down to Luna's ear again, "Looks like your mom got that shop she always wanted to buy. It's called _Ana's Herbs and Special Gems_," (1)

Both girls rolled their eyes. Her mother had always wanted her own store, to sell her medicinal herbs and flowers. The gems however…well, she didn't know what that was all about, but she knew that they must have been _real_ special, if her mother had anything to do with them...

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A few hours later, Luna found herself sitting on the couch in their 'huge', living room, in their new 'mansion', as her sister had put it. She decided not to try and memorize the whole house in one night, getting enough details from her sister and Leah's squealing. She sat, snacking on an apple and listening to_Runt_, by Marion Dane Bauer on her CD player. She loved this book, listening to it over and over ever since she was a little girl.

Just as Porcupine was about to attack Runt and his brother Thinker, her headphones were ripped off her head. "Hey!" She yelled, reaching out, trying to find where they went.

"It speaks!" She heard Leah behind her, and turned her waist to face where her cousin's voice was, "You know, for a while there, I was afraid you'd gone mute, too!"

"Give them back, _Lee L__ee_!" Luna demanded.

"No way, _Lulu_! You haven't moved from this couch since we got here. At least come out to the back and feel the water!"

"Water?" She cocked her head to the side, before her eyes lit in understanding, "We have a pool!"

Leah nodded, too excited to realize what a waste it was. "Uh-huh! And a hot tub too!"

Both girls were interrupted by Leo clapping his hands together, walking into the living room. "Alright ladies," He called, "Gather around!"

Luna heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the stairs before she heard Carmen say, "Yes, _Papi_?" in that fake, sickly sweet voice of her's.

"I know that we are all very excited and can't wait to become accustomed to our new home," he began, looking pointedly at Luna for that first sentence, "But we've had a long day today, and four of us need to get up early for school in the morning." At this, both sisters groaned while Leah just grinned. Their common hatred of school was the one thing Luna and her sister agreed on. "Oh, come on, it'll be great! I promise." Huh, he seems to be saying that a lot lately. "Off to bed now let's go!"

As her mother turned to follow her dad up the stairs, she looked back at the two girls behind her. "Oh, and Leah?" She said, catching both girls' attention, "I'm really sorry dear, but I wanted to leave one room available for guests, so I'm afraid that Luna will have to sleep in your room."

"No problem, _Tia_," Leah called to Ana's retreating form. Turning back to Luna, she gave her shoulder a squeeze. "It's okay, Lulu," She tried to sound comforting; "You know I love rooming with you. I already saw our room, so let's go."

Luna nodded, before letting her cousin drag her up the stairs. "Okay," Leah said once they reached the top of the steps, "From here, you go right, and it's the last door down the hall. Everything is crowded with boxes right now though, so I'll lead."

Once they made it down the hall – with Luna only stumbling twice – they paused at the door as Leah opened the room. "Now what?" Luna asked, reaching out to try and find her cousin, who'd sneaked behind the door.

"I asked your mom to have the room set up the same way as our old one," She heard Leah say, "All the boxes are on my side right now, so you should be able to get to your bed the same way you did back home,"

Luna nodded, ignoring the twinge in her gut when her cousin said 'home' and slowly began making her way towards the bed. She took seven steps forward, counting under her breath, before pausing and turning her body ninety degrees to the right, then counting about thirteen steps. "The bed was already made," Her cousin said as she climbed on it, "Let me just get you something to change into, then you can get to sleep. Now strip."

Luna nodded, and started taking off her clothes. She listened as boxes were opened and rummaged through. "Here are your PJ's-" pair of cotton short-shorts and tank top were suddenly thrown at her face, "-and I will make sure to unpack you an outfit tomorrow for school," She finished, going to another box.

Once dressed, Luna walked to their bathroom – which was thankfully adjacent to her bed – to brush her teeth and pull her long, ebony locks into a ponytail. After this routine was done, she found her way back to her bed, and climbed under her covers. Once both girls said their good night's, they lied down and waited for sleep to overtake them.

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_Luna was pretty sure she was dreaming._

_For one thin__g, she'd woken up in some forest; for another, she could _see_._

_She started walking, hoping that there was some point to this dream. She made it to a clearing, the moonlight giving everything a silver glow. She wouldn't mind if she just lied down here all night, whether this was a dream of not. But after taking only a few steps out of the trees, a flash of white passed by her peripheral vision. She turned to look behind her, her back now to the clearing. There was nothing there. She wasn't so sure she'd really seen anything there, when she felt a presence appear behind her. She spun around, then gasped in wonder at what she saw._

_He was huge – at least a foot taller than her if he were on his hind-legs – with the most beautiful, white coat. And his eyes! They were what captivated her the most. They were practically glowing in the moonlight; they were like two, deep pools of molten gold. "Wolf..." Luna barley registered her own voice._

_She didn't know how she knew it was a __wolf;__ she just _knew _that it was. Leah __would always tell her about what ever animals she wanted – how they lived, what they looked like, and so forth – and the wolf had always been her favorite. She let out a breathy laugh at the irony; this was _literally_, a dream come true._

_She took a hesitant step forward, her hand outstretched as if to pet him. The wolf let out a low warning growl, not trusting this stranger. "It's okay," she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she'd ruin everything, "I'm not going to hurt you. You don't need to be afraid,"_

_At this, he growled louder, apparently insulted. He bar__r__ed his teeth, held his tail up high and had his ears pressed against his head. Luna __smirked,__ hopping it hid how much she was intimidated by this. "And _I_ am not afraid of _you_, either,"_

_His answer sounded almost like a wolfish-snort, as if he were laughing at her. She smiled, and began to slowly close the distance between them again. He started growling again, but this time it sounded unsure, as if he didn't know what to do now. When she reached him, she hesitated in touching his muzzle, but as his growling faded, her confidence grew, and she gently stroked from his nose, to the back of his head._

_Within a split-second, the wolf was gone, and Luna felt herself being shoved against a tree with a human body covering hers. Looking up, she was shocked to see those same gold eyes, but on the face of a young man with blonde hair._

* * *

Luna gasped, her eyes opening wide, and shot up in her bed. She took deep breaths, taking a few minutes to keep herself from hyperventilating. "L-Lee..?" She called in a whisper, wondering if her cousin was even up yet.

Her cousin answered with incoherent mumbling, meaning she was still asleep, and it was too early for Luna to wake up. Once she calmed down some, she walked to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She didn't know why that dream had affected her so much. But a dream like that couldn't mean _nothing_. At least, not in her family.

She shook her head, deciding – for now – that, that was all her dream was; a meaningless dream. She lied back down, hoping against all odds that she would be able to get some rest after that.

Yeah, _right_!

But what Luna didn't know, was that just across her street, in the bedroom window facing her's, the very boy from her dream found himself in the same predicament.

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**(1) – I know that the name wasn't very clever, but it was all I could think of.**

**Just in case there are any slow people out there, the italics were all Luna's dream.**

**Any questions, comments, or statements you can't live without letting me? Then please write them in a review, and then send!**

**P.S My cousin David (who may make an appearance in this story) was here reading over my shoulder, helping me edit this. So whether you hate it, or love it, he gets half the credit. And for any ladies between sixteen to eighteen years old, he's single! (And cute!)**

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	4. School

**Okay, Superdani, you are officially my favorite reviewer! Your reviews make me so happy, I'm posting another chapter. Also, this is my way of celebrating because this story was also favorited for the first time!**

**I really liked this chapter, cause my second favorite character is in it. I really hope I got their attitude/character right, 'cause I tend to have problems with that, and it would help if any of you gave me tips/suggestions. Even flames may be accepted (those will be use to power my heater!)**

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Chapter Three: School

She felt something poking her in the stomach, and resisted the urge to break the finger she new her cousin was using to wake her up. She flipped from her side to her stomach, hopping Leah would give up if she ignored her. "Nice try, Lu," the older girl said, opening the curtains on the wall next to Luna's bed, "but I'm not leaving this room until you get outta bed!"

"Bite me," Luna growled out.

The truth was, she hadn't gotten much sleep after her weird dream last night. It had kept her up most of the night, trying to determine what it meant. "I would," Leah replied, her tone practically made of sarcasm, "But you haven't been properly cleansed yet." There was shuffling as her cousin dug through boxes, "I'm serious though, take a shower. It'll help wake you up." There was no room for argument, because Leah had finalized it when she though a towel at Luna's face – she had a habit of doing those kind of things.

She groaned, but complied anyway. Walking into the bathroom, she felt around until she found the bathtub faucet, and fumbled with it until she felt warm water begin to pour. After placing her towel where she'd be able to find it, she stepped in and shivered as the hot drops of water sprayed her back. She let the water fall until her hair and body were completely wet, before feeling around for her shampoo.

She had her own 'Braille Bottles', as Leah seemed to like calling them. They were just blank bottles with the words shampoo and conditioner written in Braille in the front. She'd been using them since she learned to read Braille. It made her uncomfortable when someone had come in and _give_ her a bath. It made her feel self-conscious when her cousin, or anyone else saw her naked. Especially after puberty hit.

Once she'd finished her shower, she reached out for her towel and stepped out, wrapping it around her small, five foot three form. She exited from the bathroom and found her way to her bed where a cloud of bright yellow that she knew was Leah had been waiting for her. She sat quietly as the older girl brushed through her wet, ebony curls. After she'd gotten out all the knots, Leah lead her back into the bathroom. She dried her hair with her newly-recovered blow dryer before exiting the room completely, and leaving Luna to get dressed in the outfit she left on her bed.

This was normal for them. They'd come up with this routine shortly after their bonding session all those years ago. Leah would get up, bright and early to get herself ready, wake up Luna early and have he shower by herself. After, Leah would brush and dry the young girl's hair, then leave the room to let her put on whatever clothes and/or accessories she'd left for her.

Leah always picked out her cousin's out for here – for obvious reasons – so she knew her style: not too girly, but not so tomboyish that she couldn't show of her feminine side. Luna sighed as she worked on getting on her skinny jeans. Why did she even bother? Its not like any guy would ever waste their time on dome _blind chick_. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of those thoughts.

Once she finished getting on the jeans and camisole that was left on her bed, Luna slipped on her black ballerina flats and began walking down the hall. Her sensitive nose and ears caught the smell and sound of strawberry pancakes in the kitchen and light footsteps coming up the stairs, respectively. She stretched her right hand out to the side, her fingers brushing the wall as she used it to guide her down the hall. After nearly tripping for the fourth time, she was grateful when she found it was Leah she heard on the steps. "Come on," She felt her tugging at her arm, "I'll take you down to breakfast."

"What colors am I wearing?" Luna asked as her cousin lead her down the steps.

That was the only thing Luna had ever had to worried about Leah getting right. She didn't like wearing colors like pink, bright green, of yellow – those colors made her stand out and drew attention that she didn't want. Only once had Leah attempted to leave a bright pink blouse for the blind girl, but ended up getting caught when Luna's father had commented on it.

Leah smiled, remembering that day and mentally shivered at the memory of any angry Luna. "Your favorite _Abby Brown_ skinny jeans, which I figured would help lighten up your mood, and _my_ favorite turquoise cami. If you get that hair out of your face, it'll really bring out your eyes."

Luna couldn't help the grimace that appeared on her face after the last sentence. She knew her cousin loved her silvery eyes, but she _hated_ them. They just showed the outside world what she was – a poor, helpless handicap that needs help from her happy-go-lucky cousin just to get down a flight of stairs. Despite the dark thoughts that usually left her sulking for hours, Luna couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face at the smell of her dad's famous Chunky Strawberry Pancakes. "I made your favorite," Her dad said, setting a plate stacked with them in front of her.

Her dad's pancakes were named after the chunky pieces of fresh strawberries he mixed in with the batter. He'd been making them for her since she could eat solid food, but only on special – or when he was trying to bribe her. "He's just sucking up to you," Leah stage whispered, voicing the younger girls thought.

"I don't care," She muttered, as her dad hand-fed her.

As she enjoyed her breakfast, she ignored the idea that her dad was just trying to cheer her up by focusing on the taste of strawberries and vanilla pancake. As she continued though, a thought struck her. "Where are mom and Carmen?"

Her father sighed before offering some juice via bendy-straw – oh yeah, he was sucking up _big_ time. "Well," he began in answer to her question, "Your mother wanted to open her shop early today – seeing as how it's her first day – and Carmen just decided to catch a ride with her."

Luna nodded. Carmen had always been her mother's favorite; sometimes even her dad would give his eldest daughter more attention. Ana Amador simply saw her youngest child as a nuisance, the black sheep of the family. Why? No one knew. One thing Luna did know, was that it wasn't just because she was blind. No, her mother always pitied her for that. Shaking her head, Luna did her best to clear her head as she went to finishing her breakfast.

* * *

Lexie was nervous. She'd been pulled aside by the school secretary and sent to the principal's office the moment she stepped foot in the school. _What now?_ She thought as she sat impatiently whilst tapping her foot.

So she'd been late to school the last two days in a row. So what? That couldn't possibly the reason she was brought here. And even if it was, it wasn't her fault that her bike had gotten a flat tire and she had to walk to school. She'd just got it fixed – and hell! She even made sure to come early! The door to the principal's office opened up, and Lexie stood, preparing to defend herself. But instead of an angry voice yelling at her, she was greeted by two laughing men – one of which was the principal – followed by a young woman. "Good. You're here Lexie,"

She nodded when the principal finally acknowledged her standing there. She then turned to the Hispanic-looking man next to him. "I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Amador," The principal continued, "He is going to be our new Spanish teacher for the year," She took the hand that was offered to her, still confused as to why she was there, "His daughter, Luna, is going to be starting school this year as well, and I've decided that you were the best candidate for acting as her guide," Lexie's eyes widened, but he continued, ignoring her expression, "I am hopping that such a big responsibility would be good for you, and help improve your attendance."

He stared pointedly at her and guessed that he was probably talking about her tardiness and constant absences. Now that her confusion had fully passed though, her anger took over. Why should _she_ have to take care of some human? And why would he call it such a _big_ responsibility? All she'd have to do was walk this girl around for a few days until she could get around without getting lost, right?

As the principal and Mr. Amador turned away to their own private conversation, Lexie turned to glare at the new girl. But when she did, she noticed what was gripped in her hand, and her eyes widened.

Luna felt the girl's – Lexie's – emotions go from confusion, to anger, to pity and then disbelief. She guessed that the last two were because the girl noticed the three-and-a-half-foot, white cane she held in her hand. She swore she'd almost had a hissy fit when her dad tried to get her to take it. But then she'd felt his guilt at making her use it and hope that she would understand, so she'd cut him some slack and accepted it – though not with out a glare.

Now here she was, with some stranger, as her father walked away without so much as a goodbye, happily chatting about his new job. Luna sighed. She knew it would happen eventually; someone finding out about her being blind and spreading it around school. Oh well, so long as no one new her _other_ secret, she should at least try to be optimistic. Lifting her hand up, but keeping her eyes on the ground, and offered it to Lexie. "Luna..." her introduction was mumbled, but apparently the other girl heard her.

When Lexie took her hand though, Luna felt a shock of energy run through her hand and up to her head. It was a strange sensation, but she wasn't able to pay attention to that when an image suddenly passed through her minds eye. It was of a girl, with wild, curly brown hair. She tried to hide her shock, but Lexie felt her arm tense. "Lexie," She replied, eyebrows raised at the smaller girl's behavior.

Luna looked up at her, and had to cover her gasp with a cough. Okay, she thought, _I have officially __fallen into the _Twilight Zone_..._

Lexie's aura was _huge_. It seemed to spread at least two feet from her body, and was the brightest shade of scarlet Luna had ever seen. Wow. Either this girl was ADHD, or was just naturally energetic. "U-uh..." She turned her head down again, swallowed, then looked back up at the taller girl. No, she wasn't that tall, Luna was just a frigging midget – only standing at about five feet. "Nice to meet you Lexie," She continued timidly, "I'm s-sorry. I know you must hate having to do this but...I really hope I wont be a burden to you."

Lexie's eyes softened. Just because she and the pack tend to avoid getting involved with humans, didn't mean that they had to hate them. She figured it wouldn't kill her to try and be nice to this one. She cleared her throat, "So," She hoped her voice sounded less bitter, and a bit lighter, "Do you have your schedule yet?"

A small smile twitched it's way onto Luna's lips as she felt Lexie's acceptance wash over her. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She handed it over and stood quietly as she heard the other girl dig through her backpack before pulling something out. It took a minute before she heard her speak again. "We have homeroom together – obviously since that's how they must of found me to be your guide," Luna nodded, understanding what she was doing – comparing their classes, "But, other than that, we only have three classes together, plus lunch," she felt Lexie's eyes turn to her, "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

Luna nodded as she allowed Lexie to loop their arms together, and guide her out of the office, into the crowded hallways of _Gates Academy_

* * *

"So far, so good," Lexie said, leading Luna out of their math class.

Math was only their second class of the day. At first, their teacher was a little hesitant about having a blind student in her class, but then Luna assured her that, as long as someone could read the problems or equations out to her, she wouldn't have to worry. She was grateful that she had Lexie to help her. She knew that if it had been anyone else helping her, they'd be more focused on her freaky eyes then the work. "Don't jinx it," she replied to Lexie's earlier remark.

Her 'guide' just laughed at her. It seemed like Lexie had completely changed her opinion of Luna within the short two hours they had gotten to know each other. Although the freaky aura, and unstable energy levels she was getting from her still had Luna feeling wary, she felt the same way and was glad to have her be the one to guide her. She was happy that this strange girl wasn't just pretending to be able to stand her. "Unfortunately," Lexie's voice brought her out of her thoughts, "That was our last class together until lunch."

The small smile that had been on her face since she and Lexie had walked out of the office that morning finally fell, and Luna dropped her head in helplessness and self-pity. Now what? How was she supposed to make it through the next few hours with out Lexie? The last thing she wanted was to have to ask some immature, pity-eyed human for help.

She didn't mind Lexie, she wasn't immature, or stared at her like everyone else that she'd met. Lexie was actually a really nice person. When Luna looked back up to her new companion, her stomach dropped and she felt like she couldn't breath. "Lexie?"

* * *

**Yes! My first cliffhanger! And, just a warning, it wont be the last.**

**You know, while writing this chapter, I've realized how hard it is to write from a blind person's POV, which is why I randomly switch it to someone's else's . So sorry if it confuses you sometimes. If you wanna complain, tell me in a review ^.^!**


	5. Familiar

**I feel really bad. I could've had this chapter up by, like, Thursday or Friday, but my dad took my computer for not doing all my chores – my parents are like, super strict ( I'm uploading this in school)**

**Anyway…It the moment you've all been waiting for!**

**Yup, that's right! Luna is finally going to meet...*Drum Roll*... Taylor Lautner! Lol. J/K! J/K! Nope, not Taylor, he's all mine, sorry. Lukas is finally here! Again, forgive me for any oocness (though I doubt that too many of you are going to read this) and if you flame me, I will be tempted to use it to set your houses on fire (J/K...maybe...)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Four: Familiar

Luna panicked. "Lexie?" She called out again.

When she dropped her head in misery, she didn't realize that she and Lexie had gotten separated by the thick crowd of students. She turned around, practically spinning in circles, trying to find a trace of the familiar essence of Lexie's aura. But she was being pushed around by the river of students, not even knowing if she was being pushed the right way. The sea of colors and emotions had her feeling almost nauseous.

She tried to turn to whatever direction everyone else was going, but stumbled when she was bumped into and ran face-first into another body much larger than her. The next thing she knew, she was on her bum and on the floor with her cane – which had been folded and kept in her hand until then – and whoever she'd bumped into. She felt the stares of all the students who kept walking, but their curiosity and confusion was drowned out by the intense anger coming off of the person who was on the floor along with her.

* POV Switch * (Just trying something here)

Lukas was pissed. He'd already had a bad morning because of his dad. Simon had woken up in one of his moods and ended up hitting his mom. He hated when his father would hurt her and almost started something with him. But he didn't, for his mom's sake. Instead, he waited around until his dad left, not wanting his mom to be left alone with him like that.

This resulted in him being late to school, and even though his mom was there to excuse him, he was still stuck sitting in the office for the rest of the period. The principal gave him a lecture about responsibility and punctuality for most of that time, and Lukas had been tempted more than once to rip his throat out.

Then, after such a _lovely_ start to his day, this girl had to come along and make it _that much better_. It had taken him a moment to react though, because when they'd collided, her scent almost instantly filled his nostrils. It was sweet, almost like strawberries, and the smell of a forest just before it rains. And it almost seem...familiar…

He shook his head, clearing it of the offending smell and glared at the petite girl, who was hiding her face behind a curtain of her black hair. She seemed to tense more than she already was as soon as his anger fully set in, but he paid no mind to it. "Watch where you're going!" He barked, scaring off the few bystanders that where left.

*Back to Luna*

Luna kept her head down, too embarrassed by all the people she felt ogling at her, and too ashamed that she didn't have the guts to tell him that she really _couldn't_ watch where she was going. "I-I'm so sorry!" she apologized in a quick, hushed tone.

It was then that she realized that her cane wasn't in her hand anymore. She reached out, wanting to find what she dropped before he saw her cane. Instead, her hand found his while he was reaching for his notebook. In that split second when their skin touched, she felt a shock run through her before she pulled her hand back. No picture ran through her head though, but she did feel something – and a lot of it.

She stayed still, not in shock, but still surprised by all the energy and pure _rage_ she felt. Physical contact always seemed to strengthen her empathy – she described it to Leah as "almost like drinking straight from the milk carton". She'd felt something else beneath everything else, but whatever it was, was overpowered by all his anger – which she had a feeling it wasn't all directed at her.

Lukas quirked an eyebrow at her, seeing that she was just sitting there now, and snorted. He found her behavior weird, but was too annoyed to even make a remark. He picked up his notebook, and was about to stand up, until he noticed something to the left of her. It was white, and looked like a stick folded into four pieces. He dropped down again to scoop it up, and opened the end that had red painted on it. Both of his eyebrows rose, and he looked at her with a frown.

His eyes were always better than a human's, but with her hair in the way – and the fact that he wasn't really paying attention – he'd thought her eyes were green or something*. But now, he noticed that they were a silvery color. Not saying a word, he kneeled down and placed the cane on her lap.

She gripped it with both hands, folding it back up, and stood as he did the same. She quickly stuffed it into her old messenger bag and then crossed her arms. She didn't know why he just stood there – did he want to ask her something, or was he just staring at her? - But she needed help. Now that he seemed to know, there was no point in not asking him for it. She could hear the hallways clearing out, and guessed that they only had a few minutes out of the seven all students have to get to and from class. But whether or not she would've gone through with asking him, they were both interrupted. "Luna!"

Lexie almost had a heart attack when she turned to give Luna her schedule back and realized that they'd been separated. She was so relieved when she found her missing charge that she hadn't noticed who else was there. "Where did you go, Lu-oh! Lukas?" Lexie almost fell back in surprise, realizing that Luna had somehow met her alpha.

"Lexie," Lukas greeted with a nod, and then gestured towards Luna who was still standing quiet, turned to face straight in front of her – which was the almost empty hall. "You know this girl?"

Lexie nodded, the last bits of panic she felt when losing Luna receding. "Yeah. I was assigned to be her guide and help her with getting to her classes."

He chuckled, though it sounded more like a snort, and rolling his eyes he said, "Nice job your doing,"

Luna frowned, not liking his sarcastic attitude. It wasn't completely Lexie's fault that she got lost, she was supposed to be paying attention too – but she couldn't tell them that. "Yeah," Lexie's voice had a somewhat bitter edge to it. "I was distracted, because I needed to get Luna to her next class. The only problem, though, is that I don't have it with her."

"What do I have?" Luna asked tentatively.

She listened as Lexie unfolded her schedule. "You have history, in room 4-211."

"That's my next class," Lukas spoke up.

Luna just cocked her head to the side while Lexie stared at him with a puzzled expression. Why would he just blurt that out? Was he offering to take Luna? "Oh? Well do you think...uh..." She glanced at Luna then at her watch. "Can you take her?" She turned back to Lukas, who had a frown on his face. "Please?"

Before either one of them could say anything more, the first bell rang, signaling that the students only had about a minute to get to class. Lukas sighed. Babysitting this human was the _last_ thing he wanted to do, but for some reason, he couldn't help rolling his eyes and saying, "C'mon, let's go,"

Lexie smiled and hugged him, handing him Luna's schedule and ran off to her class. "Thank you!" She called, "I'll make it up to you!" She promised as she disappeared around a corner.

Luna sighed. Lexie seemed to have some sort of high respect for this guy, from what she could tell. She supposed that she'd survive one class with him, since Lexie apparently trusted to leave her with him. "Are you coming?"

She realized that he'd already started walking down the hallway. She shook her head and looked up, determined not to get lost again. Her breath caught in her breath. _Wow..._

What _were_ these people?

Lukas' aura was just as wide as Lexie's, if not bigger, and was even a darker red. It was like he had as much pent-up anger as he did energy – which was saying something. But there was something else there, like when she'd touched him, that was almost completely overpowered by everything else. It was almost like, a sense of familiarity...

She managed to process this all in a matter of seconds before shaking her head again and following her new 'guide' – Lukas Ford.

* * *

He'd admit, this girl wasn't as bad as he thought. It's not like Lukas _liked_ playing babysitter – hell no! – But she just wasn't the annoying, whiny spoiled brat he'd peg her as. There must have been something bothering her in the hall, he decided. Maybe she just didn't feel safe with only him around? _Smart girl_, he thought.

Right now, they were in their American History class, and were having an oral pop-quiz on the Civil War. The teacher was asking questions and then calling on students to answer them. Lukas didn't see the point of this class – or any of his classes – why would they need to learn about something that happened years ago? "Mr. Ford," Lukas looked up from staring at his desk, raising an eyebrow at the teacher who was sitting at his desk. "One of the reasons for the war was the disagreements between the North and the South concerning slavery. Who was the president at this time, and why couldn't he simply outlaw slavery to solve this conflict?"

Lukas just shrugged, but was smirking on the inside. He loved messing with his teachers; it helped make his day a little better by making their just a litter bit worse. "The...dude with the big hat?" he shrugged again and slumped down in his seat, "I guess either because he was too lazy to sigh the damn documents, or maybe he just had a sick sense of humor." He finished, putting his arms behind his head.

Both his answers had the class laughing loudly, and the teacher couldn't even be bothered to try and shush them. Instead he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, and waited for the class to quiet down on its own. "Anyone else?" He asked, rubbing his forehead with the same hand.

Only one had was raised, seeing as the rest of the class was still trying to control their fits of giggles and laughter. She may not of seen the teacher's nod, signaling for her to begin, but she answered anyway after feeling his relief that _some_one was serious about this class. "Abraham Lincoln," Luna's voice caught Lukas' attention, and he turned to stare at her, "was concerned that if he made any move toward the issue of slavery, both sides would rebel against his authority if neither side liked his decision."

Lukas raised an eyebrow as the teacher praised her. "Good. That was very good Miss, uh..." He trailed off as he recognized her as the new student on his roster, "Luna Amador?" He frowned and looked back at her curiously, as all the students stared at her with confusion. "Aren't you the one who's-"

"Yes I am," Luna interrupted him, not liking all the attention she was already getting. "I'd already gone over this subject back at my old school, and memorized all the information." She was doing her best not to snap at him for all the pity and doubt he was radiating.

The pity faded though, after taking in her sassy tone. He smirked a little, accepting the silent challenge. "You have some sort of photographic memory, or something?" He asked smugly.

"It's more of a tape recorder, than a camera." She replied, just as smug with her own smirk.

He nodded and continued. Most of the students were still confused, but some just shrugged it off while others were trying to figure out what was going on. Either way, she knew there was only one person staring at her now, and she knew exactly who it was. It was weird, not only did she feel a sense of familiarity coming off of him, but it was like she was already attuned to his aura. She didn't get it. It usually took at least a few hours of knowing someone and being around them for her to become acquainted with the essence of that someone's aura.

But now, after not even an entire hour, she could probably pick him out of a crowd of people and know it was him. She thought it might have been because of his strange aura, but almost instantly pushed that thought away. If it had anything to do with that, then she would've been able to find Lexie earlier, right?

Luna sighed, and tried to focus on the lecture the teacher was now giving. But, try as she might, there was one thought – a question – that she couldn't get out of her head.

Why did Lukas seem so familiar?

* * *

**Okay, this c****hapter didn't go **_**as**_** well as I'd have hoped, but I will let you guys be the judges. So please, review? Otherwise I might be forced to stop writing, no matter how much I don't want to.**


	6. Runt

**If you've watched episode 8 of the **_**Gates**_** (Dog Eat Dog) enough times (I've watched it five times on .com) you can tell that Lukas really does have somewhat of a soft side – for his ****mom at least – and that was just what I was thinking about as I wrote this chapter.**

**Also, there is some reference to a book I used to love reading, so just wanted to add a quick disclaimer for it. And, the way Luna tells it, is really how I'd summarize it, so don't hate on my OC if you've read the book and you don't like how it's described.**

**I do not own the story **_**Runt**_**. All rights to that book belong to the author, Marion Dane Bauer. Thank you, and enjoy this story's logest chapter yet!**

* * *

Chapter Five: Runt

Unfortunately for Lukas, his next two classes were with Luna as well, and – without Lexie – he was still stuck with babysitting duty. He'd left her in front of the gym though, after the coach showed up then sneaked away; gym was never really his thing. He made sure to stay close though, which was easy since she was, apparently, stuck sitting out for the rest of the year – why would they give her that class in the first place, anyway?

Now though, they had English, and as they walked in, Lukas couldn't help but smirk at what he saw. "Looks like you just lucked out," he said, turning back to look at her in mock pity – it still hadn't completely registered that his usual antics wouldn't work with her. "We have a sub."

Luna cocked her head to the side, not quite understanding. "Huh?" Ugh, she hated sounding clueless!

"Whenever we have a sub in this class, the teacher just leaves instructions for the sub to have us read for the hour." He explained.

She pursed her lips then nodded. "Okay then," she said nonchalantly, gesturing for him to keep walking, "That's fine with me."

She had to admit, she liked teasing him like this. The confusion radiating from him was hilarious, and – if she could imagine what he looked like – she bet that the confused look on is face was adorable.

Wait...What?

_Where the hell did _that_ come from?_ She thought. She didn't even know this guy. Why the hell would she be calling him cute? She couldn't even _see_ him; and for crying out loud, he was a dick! If the way he talked to Lexie and disrespected their History teacher was anything to go by anyways. She shook her head, thinking herself crazy for mentally scolding herself. "W-where am I sitting?" _God_, she was even stuttering now!

He either didn't notice this, or simply chose to ignore it – she decided it was the former, for her own sake – because he just turned back around and led her to a seat near the window. She couldn't help but notice that he choose to sit in the seat in front of her. For someone who hates having to take care of her, he seemed to really like keeping close. Even in gym, when he was supposed to be 'skipping', he'd hid under the bleachers where she was sitting that whole period.

But what she didn't know was that, despite being annoyed with her and the task he'd been given, he found himself drawn to her. He wouldn't call it a romantic attraction – even if it were true, which it _wasn't_ – but there was just something about her that intrigued him. She was blind, yet she didn't complain or milk it like he thought anyone else would by asking for any special treatment. Of course, she didn't seem like that kind of girl either way.

And the way she acted in general, it was as if she wasn't all that blind; like she couldn't really see, yet she was always able to avoid running into people in the halls – other than him of course – and not once did she seem to need her cane. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was- No. He shook his head. Just because she was a little different, it didn't make her one of the supernaturals. But still...

He looked back at her, curious about what she was going to do about the reading thing. He was mildly surprised to see her pulling out a black CD player and blank disk from her bag. He shot glance at the sub, who'd seemed to fall asleep, giving the rest of the class time to socialize. He turned around in his seat, making it possible to look at Luna more directly. He simply watched her for a few seconds before reaching out and plucking one of her headphones out of her ear. He ignored her soft "Hey!" of protest and held the ear bud up to his ear – but kept it far enough so that it wouldn't bother him.

It sounded like...a story? After a few minutes of silence he handed it back to her, confused. "It's _Runt_," She said, answering his unspoken question. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and with all the other students speaking amongst themselves, even he could only just hear her. "A book," she continued, a smug smile now on her face, "that my father and older cousin recorded on this CD for me." **(A/N: That rhymed! Kinda...Sorry, sugar high. XD)**

"A book?" she confirmed his question with a nod, "What's it about?"

"Don't you have your own book to read?" she asked a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

He smirked, and leaned down closer to her. "Do I _look_ like the kind of guy who reads?"

She frowned, her forehead crinkling. "I wouldn't know…" Her voice had gotten quieter.

He didn't know why he suddenly felt so bad – he'd only meant it as a joke – but now he felt horrible for making her sad. He didn't want to see her upset. "I'm sorry," He spoke quietly now, glancing discreetly around the room before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. This action caused a red tint to appear on her cheeks. "But uh...I still wouldn't mind hearing about it."

Her face lit up again, and a smile appeared on her face – it was a small one, but it still counted! It seemed to him that she really liked talking about this book. "Well," She began, "It's about a family – pack – of wolves," He rolled his eyes – sure didn't see _that_ one coming, "It starts off with Silver, the alpha's mate, giving birth to their second litter of pups. She names four of the five of them. Now," she took a breath, but her voice was a whisper, "I warn you, the names kinda suck, but it's more of a children's book anyway, okay?"

"Okay," he replied quietly, his breath fanning across his face – and for some reason Luna had to repress a shudder.

"Their names are: Leader, Sniffer, Runner, and Thinker – please no comment on them." Lukas chuckled at this, "Anyway, the last pup is named by King, their alpha. The pup looks just like his father, but has seemingly no other special talent or feature about him – other than the fact that he's way smaller than his siblings. Therefore, King names him..." She trailed off, gesturing toward him, expectantly.

He shrugged and answered, "Runt?" though it came out as more of a question.

She smiled brightly, and he couldn't even begin to explain _why_ his chest swelled at the sight of it. "There you go!" She quietly cheered, speaking as if he were a toddler, "You catch on fast, don't you?" She sarcastically finished, reaching out and patting is head – with surprising accuracy. He glowered at this action though, and barley managed to stop himself when he felt a growl forming in his chest.

She retracted her hand, her smile falling again, and her frown more pronounced than before. No normal human would've been able to hear him, but because she was blind, her other scenes were a bit stronger than average – meaning that she heard him. She leaned back in her seat and slouched just a little bit, surprised by what she'd heard. The sound of it caused her thoughts to drift back to her dream, and that beautiful white wolf...What did it _mean_?

Lukas cleared his throat, catching her attention again. He seriously didn't think she'd heard him – of course this was before he considered blind people had better hearing. "So the main character is a runt, named Runt," He said, sort of double checking, "What the point of the story, then?"

Her smile was a little tighter this time, and he noticed but didn't say anything. "It's, about Runt growing up, learning the ropes of living in his pack. And-" she broke off, as if deep in thought. "It's about...him coming out of his shell, and trying to make a name of himself, other than Runt." Her voice grew soft, and Lukas half-wondered if she was talking to herself. "Sometimes I think of how alike he and I are. We're both outcasts," She mumbled, "Struggling with our…_differences_, and working to earn a parent's respect. Sometimes having only our hopes, and dreams…I just hope I can someday have his happy ending…"

Her voice faded away, and with a blink and shake of the head, Luna was suddenly smiling sheepishly. "I'm so sorry," she said, embarrassed, "I didn't mean to space out like that," She swallowed and cleared her book. "Well, it's a really good book. Even if it is for kids." She added, the finality in her voice clear.

Lukas stared at her for a moment, then silently placed her headphone in her hand. "Okay then," he whispered. There was no emotion in his voice, but there was a sense of understanding coming from him. He thought about what he'd found out. So she had family problems, he could relate to that. And, apparently, she liked wolves – not that he cared of course.

He stared at the clock, arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. She was also lonely; he could relate to that two. Despite being his pack's alpha, he knew none of them were really his friends – except maybe Lexie. They only respected him, because they feared his dad. _Well what do you know?_ He thought, _I guess I'm a lot like Runt too_.

* * *

*Leah POV*

She was worried about her little cousin. Leah had home room and one other class with Carmen, but she didn't have a single one with Luna – which made sense since she was a year older and a grade level above her. She could already see that Carmen had already made plenty of friends, mostly with – you guessed it – the cheerleaders. But Luna was the one on Leah's mind the most.

She knew that her uncle said he would ask for someone to be assigned as a guide for her, but she didn't trust anybody with the younger girl. Others would joke, saying that Leah was way to overprotective, but it was never a joke to her – the safety and comfort of her cousin was very serious to her. She didn't trust that the person assigned to Luna – whoever they are – would be able to treat and care for her properly.

Right now she was in her history class, the last class before lunch, and she couldn't stop squirming in her seat. She was anxious to see Luna again, to check and see how she was doing. There was less than ten minutes left until lunch and she had been practically glaring at the clock for the last five. "Come on, come on..." She muttered. It was so quiet that no one would've been able to hear it.

But someone did. Lexie – who was in this class only because she had some how made it into Advanced History – heard her anxious plea and looked over at Leah. She and her cousin looked nothing alike – her olive toned skin, light brown hair, and hazel eyes contrasted greatly with Luna's pale complexion, black hair and blind eyes – so Lexie had no idea who she was speaking to when she asked, "Do you have to use the bathroom, or are you really just that hungry?"

Leah looked to the girl next to her and smiled, hearing the playful sarcasm in the question. "No, not really," she answered sheepishly, "I'm just worried about my cousin," She shrugged, "I'm hopping that she'll be able to get around this school okay."

Lexie nodded. "I haven't seen you around before," she said, "Are you knew here?" For some reason it didn't cross her mind that this girl could of come here with Luna – probably because after having two new families move in to the _Gates_, she just assumed there was already a third.

"Yeah," Leah nodded, "We just got here yesterday. I live with my aunt's family. My uncle is the new Spanish teacher, and my aunt just opened a new shop on the market street. A word of advice – avoid buying anything from my aunt."

Lexie giggled. She guessed this girl didn't like her aunt very well. Just then though, something registered in her mind. "The new Spanish teacher?" she asked, and was answered with a nod, "Mr. Amador is your uncle?" She double checked.

"Uh, _yeah_," Leah said, "Why do you ask?"

Lexie ignored her question. "So that makes you Luna Amador's cousin?"

Leah's eyes widened, and she turned to fully face Lexie. "How do you know Luna?" She asked.

"Your uncle and the principal had me assigned to guide Luna and help her around." Lexie explained.

Leah looked around the class room, confused. She didn't see her cousin anywhere. Turning back to the girl next to her, she asked, "But where is she? If you're here..."

Lexie interrupted, waving her hands in a defensive gesture and explained. "Don't worry! I made sure one of my friends would watch her. He had her next few classes so he agreed to take over for me until our next class after lunch."

Leah nodded, but sill felt uneasy. The other noticed this and added, "Lukas wont let anything happen to her. Once he sets his mind to something, he'll follow through with it. And, apparently, he's set his mind to helping out your cousin. My friends and I respect and trust him. So there's no need to worry."

That calmed her down a little, but now she was curious about Lukas. Turning back to Lexie, she gave her the brightest, most convincing smile she could muster and extended her arm. "I'm Leah by the way. Leah Martinez." She'd kept her father's last name, despite her aunt wanting to change it after she was given custody of her niece.

"Lexie," The other girl said, taking the offered hand.

When their hands touches, Leah subtly tightened her grip, so that not even the other girl noticed. She kept the grin on her face as images entered her mind. She saw and felt as Lexie panicked, looking around frantically when she realized she'd lost Luna. She watched as Lexie introduced Luna and this Lukas characters. Leah saw all of this within seconds before letting go when they heard the bell finally ring.

She and Lexie chatted back and forth occasionally as they made their way to the cafeteria. On the inside though, Leah was analyzing what she'd seen. She was upset that this girl had lost Luna – no matter however short a time it was for – and would talk to her cousin about it.

Another thing that she noticed, was the rough exterior of this Lukas character. He seemed the the type of guy who went around, messing thing – and people – up. She wasn't sure how she felt about him walking her cousin. Oh well, she thought with a small smirk. At least she'd gotten a good look at him, and he was kinda cute.

_Psychometry_, she silently cheering, _Gotta love it_.

* * *

**Okay, so. If you guys started hating thins towards the end I don't blame you. I worked on this chapter through my Friday night and finished this chapter at exactly 2:04 in the morning, the next morning (Today).**

**Anyway, if you have any questions about Leah's (and other family members') powers, you can ask me about it in a review (cough-cough hint-hint) or wait until all is explained in around chapter 15...**

**Also, I officially turn 15 today at 6:46 pm. So if you wanna give me a present, review me either about the story, or just to wish me a Happy Birthday. Either way, it'll make my day!**


	7. Breach

**I feel terrible! I spent the whole of last week redecorating my bedroom, and it took longer than I thought. It took longer than I'd thought, so now I'm updating late. I'm so sorry for making you wait. Okay then. *Sighs* Now that I'm done begging for forgiveness…**

**I know that the title for this chapter isn't very 'original', but it's more of a filler. This also marks where the episode '**_**Breach**_**'**** begins.**

* * *

Chapter Six: Breach

The next few days went well for Luna. By the third day she had already gotten familiar with her new routine: Leah would walk her every morning to where Lexie, Lukas and some of their friends parked their bikes. Lexie and Luna would say goodbye to Leah, and then walk to their first two classes together. Then, they would meet Lukas in the hall and Luna would be traded off.

Once lunch came, her cousin would get her from him and buy her lunch. They'd eat alone together because Lexie and Lukas ate with their own group, and Carmen – obviously – ate with the jocks and cheerleaders. Sometimes though, Leah would sit with some of the other friends she'd made there and Luna would sit alone, listening to whatever 'book' she had that day. It was these days that Lukas would occasionally stare at her from his table, but Lexie was the only one who really noticed.

When lunch was over, Lexie would come over to the smaller girl's table and take her to their health class. Luna didn't like this particular class at all; she knew that – like at her old school – all attention would be on her when they got to studying birth defects and disabilities. Just the thought of it made her want to shudder. She actually did when she found out she had this class.

But her mood always brightened when they got to chemistry, which she learned she had with both Lexie and Lukas. Things had gotten very amusing on her first day. The chemistry teacher was apparently new to the school, and was only in her first year of teaching. This, of course, made her one of those helpless, lost-puppy-like teachers who panic over every little mishap in the classroom.

So when she realized her new student was blind, she began freaking out on the inside. Luna felt all of it, and had to keep herself from dropping to the floor in hysterics. Does this woman really think I'm dumb enough to mess with potentially dangerous chemicals? She remembered thinking. Thankfully, Lexie switched seats with one of the other students so that they could be made partners. It was a silent agreement between the two girls that Lexie would deal with anything chemical-y, and Luna would do what she could while avoiding them.

She had also gotten closer to Lukas – sort of. Their English teacher had been out for a week, so they'd had that whole time to talk during class. But sometimes she didn't have much to say, so she would just listen to him talk – or vent.

Today she was sitting quietly as he ranted to her about his friend Brett, some star football player here, that was refusing to hang out with them. Luna tried to see his point of view on the argument, but was also a bit curious as to _why _he wanted Brett to join them so bad. Lukas seemed go tense when she asked and tried to brush it off, saying they just wanted to help him with some of the stress he'd been going through.

"By 'help'," she said hesitantly, "You guys don't mean you're doing drugs or anything...right?"

He snorted. "I'm offended," he said sarcastically, "We don't do that kind of stuff. We just want to help him blow off some steam; get rid of some of that extra energy. You know?" She nodded, but was still clearly confused. He sighed, deciding to just change the subject. "So what about you? No plans for the tonight?" It was Friday, and everybody seemed to be making plans.

Luna groaned, obviously not liking the new topic. "I haven't really been doing much," she began, "But last night my parents finished unpacking and finally got rid of the last box. So now they want to go out and celebrate 'officially moving out'." She made quotation marks in the air when she said that. "God! And I'd bet _anything_ that Leah is going to make me wear one of her skirts!" She shuddered exaggeratedly.

"You should," He said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and smirked, "Show off those nice legs of yours."

She automatically ducked her head, hiding her blush. _God!_ She thought, _I may never be pale _again_ around this guy!_

* * *

They were on their way to lunch, but instead of keeping straight on the path that Luna had become accustomed to, Lukas made a sudden turn into another hallway. "Lukas, what the-"

"Just gimme a sec," he said, cutting her off, "I just need to use the restroom real quick."

"But why can't you just-"

"Don't worry, Luna," she could hear him opening a door, "Here If you want, you can wait in the girl's room so you won't be standing in the hall. I'll knock on the door when I'm done."

She nodded and let him gently push her into the door he'd opened for her. She just stood there for a second, before walking over and leaning against the wall on her left. If she was correct, this was the wall connected to the boy's room. She slid down the wall and sat down. Something told her that Lukas would take more than just 'a sec'. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her lunch, which consisted of a veggie taco, an apple, and a strawberry milkshake. "Girl's gotta have her strawberry," She mumbled to herself.

Just before she could take a bite out of her food, she heard the door from the boys' restroom open and close again. She paused and listened, thinking that maybe Lukas really did only need a second. But when she heard two voices talking through the wall, she began to feel as if this had all been planned. Was Lukas meeting someone?

She nearly yelped when she heard what sounded like breaking tile, followed by the sound of a body being slammed against something **(1)**. It was quiet; Lukas and whoever else was there must have either stopped talking, or were speaking in hushed tones. She kept silent, even clamping her own hand over her mouth so as not to make a noise in case she was startled again.

After a few more tense minutes, she heard the door open before a knock was heard from the door the girls' restroom. She quickly picked up her taco, stuffing the rest of her things back into her messenger bag. She made her way to the door and pushed it open, and instantly she felt the familiar touch of Lukas gripping her arm – a tad rougher than usual – and the wave of his energy and rage.

She didn't say anything about what she heard; in fact she kept completely silent as they walked. She just wanted to get to her isolated table and as far from him right now. She had that sense of danger again, like on her first day – the kind of danger that only came when Lukas was openly upset – and didn't want to be around to find out why. She was terrified, not of what he might do, but of saying something to cause him more anger.

So she stayed silent, even when she was safely seated at her own table. Leah had decided to sit at her other table, which was fine with Luna. Right now, the blind girl wanted to be alone, and to get the thoughts of whatever could've made those noises out of her head. So instead, she concentrated on the dinner her family was going to tonight – the dinner she was dreading.

* * *

Luna tugged uncomfortably at the hem of the tight, black skirt she was wearing. "Stop pulling at it, Lu. You're wasting your time!" Leah said, working on her cousin's hair, "Not even you can make it magically grow longer."

"You never know," Luna mumbled – more like growled.

She had been right. As soon as they walked through their door, her cousin practically shoved her into the shower. Then she dressed her up in one of Carmen's hand-me-down, knee-length skirts, and a thin, red V-neck blouse that showered off the top of her cleavage. She knew the colors because she had asked for them; unfortunately, she never told Leah the _style_ she wanted. _Too late now_, she thought, _there is _no way_ I am going to win an argument with Leah_.

The only comfort she had now, was that she got wear her own flip-flops. Everything else she was wearing was Leah's or her sister's. "Done!" Leah said, bringing Luna out of her thoughts.

Leah admired her work. Her cousin's hair was left down, as usual, but now a silver barrette with a white rose pinned the right side of her hair away from her face. If she wanted to cover her eyes, Luna would have to use a pair of sunglasses. But doing so would only bring even more attention to the fact that she was blind, therefore she'd have to leave her eyes exposed.

Leah didn't know why her cousin hated her eyes – she thought they were beautiful. Then again Luna never did like sticking out. Add to that the fact she was pretty much a loner, and well, it might explain why she didn't like people, and vice-verse. Still, that didn't stop her from helping – or forcing – Luna out of her shell.

Luna heard her cousin walk to her side of the room and back, before she felt something being placed around her neck. She smiled, realizing what it was before Leah spoke up again. "I found your choker in my jewelry box. Cleaver of you to hide it in there."

Luna fingered the necklace. It had been a gift from her aunt – Leah's mother – which she'd been given for her third birthday. No one was sure why, but Ana had never liked that her sister gave it to Luna, so the young girl had learned a long time ago to keep it hidden from her mother. That was why she hid it in Leah's things, knowing her mother would try to dispose of it when they moved.

The choker was plain black leather. A plain, and thin silver chain extended from the center. From the chain, hung a round moonstone that lay right in the center of her collar bone. The stone was about the size of a quarter, and sometimes – according to Leah – it would seem to glow in the moon light. "Thank you Lee lee," She said, stroking the stone, just as Leo called them downstairs.

The girls took each others arm as the exited the room. Luna had decided to leave her cane home, thinking that Leah could just help walk her to wherever she needed for the night. But boy, was _that_ a mistake.

* * *

Mad wasn't even the right word for how she felt right now. No, she was _pissed_ off, to the maximum – at her mom. Partially because it'd become a habit over the last fifteen years or so, and partially because it really was Ana's fault. Everything had been going great at dinner; the restaurant wasn't too crowded, the food had smelled great, and the staff didn't seem to notice that she was blind – no shock or pity had come off of them.

But then she had to use the restroom.

They'd just ordered their drinks, but Luna had had the urge to 'go' since they'd gotten out of the car – of course that would be the time for her bladder to complain. She'd asked Leah to take her, but her mother stepped up and offered – more like demanded – to take her instead. She wasn't too sure about going with her mother, and Leah didn't seem to like it either, but her mother insisted, and won.

All had went well, up until she came back out to find her mother gone, back to their table at least half way across the restaurant. Luna had remembered the path they took though, and had been confident she could find her way back and avoid any sort of collision with someone.

She'd been successful, until someone at a table that had been empty before, pushed their chair up to stand. She bumped into them, and – through some chain of events that she couldn't comprehend – this resulted in that person, an unlucky waiter, and Luna herself to end up on the floor, with food spread around them and on the velvet carpet. Even though she hadn't seen it, she heard it, and was still red-faced from the memory of her poor victim and the waiter yelling at her – before realizing she couldn't see, of course.

But embarrassed was all that particular portion of the night brought for her. It wasn't until her mother got involve that things really went to hell. When the waiter and the mad she'd bumped into saw she was blind, they'd both had different reactions. The waiter was, of course, pitiful and had offered to take her back to her table. The man, however, had only gotten louder, complaining about a _blind_ girl wondering around until it had caught both the manager's, and her family's attention.

When her parents apologized to the manager and the man, her mother had the nerve to _blame her for everything_, not even mentioning the part where she left Luna alone in the bathroom. The worst part though? Throughout her sympathetic, and 'tearful' apology as they left the restaurant, Ana had been feeling quite smug, and proud of herself. At this point she reminded Luna of that popular mean girl, who would do anything to ruin the poor nerd-girl's life.

So now here they were, at barley six-thirty in the evening, returning home from their five-thirty dinner. Leaning against her window, Luna felt the car slow as Leo stopped right in front of what she guessed was the front gate. She heard his window slide down, and the vaguely familiar voice of Eddie Brown reached her ears. "Evening Mr. Amador," he greeted.

"Evening, Eddie," Her father greeted back. "What seems to be the problem here?" It was then that Luna noticed the sound of honking horns and people complaining on the other side of the rode.

"Chief Monohan just ordered a lockdown. There was some sort of breach in the security system, but I can't spare any details right now. You're in luck, though, that we're only keeping people in for the night."

"So we are aloud in?"

"Yes sir. Just give me a moment to open the doors for ya," Before leaving, Eddie added, "It's also lucky that you got here when you did. I have a feeling that this gate is gonna be one, big traffic jam in the next half hour,"

She heard her father chuckle, bidding farewell to the young security guard before they continued on their way home. As soon as they were away from the noise, her mother turned in her seat, and Luna felt her gaze drilling a hole in her forehead. "I'm very disappointed in you," she resisted a flinch at the sound of her mother's voice. When Ana was upset, her voice came out as a hiss, that reminded anyone who knew her of an angry rattler. "If you'd just taken your walking cane like you were supposed to – like I _told_ you – this wouldn't of happened!" Whoa, back up!

Luna bristled. Was _that_ what this had been about – why Ana had left her alone in the bathroom. To teach her a lesson? She turned away from her mother's voice, 'looking' out the window and realizing that her father was on the road on the forest's edge. Even in the evening, when the sun was most likely setting, the living trees and plants around her would forever glow with a brilliant white in her eyes. "If you had just listen to me, for _once_," Her mother was still yelling, "maybe we could've save ourselves from such – from such an...an _embarrassment._ At least face me when I'm talking to you!"

But Luna had since forgotten her mother's voice was even there. At some point during Ana's rant, a strange sensation had almost completely taken over Luna's body. It was some kind of urge; like her intuition telling her to do something she would never normally do. Yet she was fully willing to do it now.

Fumbling around with her hand on the door, she found the lock to it and opened it. She pushed the door open, the sudden burst of wind momentarily paralyzing everyone else in the car, and she took it as her opportunity. Ignoring the yell of her now-unfrozen cousin, she jumped.

* * *

**Alright, I'm terrible. Not only am I updating late, but I'm also leaving you on such a cruel and nearly unspeakable cliffhanger. But, you know, I'm hopping that this will prompt more readers to review, in order to ask me for more.**

**Also, it has been decided that between chapters 16 and 17, all of Luna's secrets will be revealed. So start counting down!**


	8. Friend?

**A/N: So sorry about the wait. Being late last week caused me to be late this week. Then school was just so hectic, and I got sick Tuesday (I even came home sick early and tried to write ****this chapter, but just couldn't concentrate) But I have a three-day weekend this week, so that should give me more time to write.**

**Oh, and to any Degrassi fans out there: I saw Friday night's premiere, and can**_**not**_**wait for the Adam/Fiona/Andrew love-triang****le to start (even though Adam totally deserves her, and Drew should get shit for what he did to Alli). And, was it just me, or was Clare asking Eli to have sex with him? I'm sure **_**that **_**will have some interesting results.**

**Switching gears now...**

**Yahoo! This story has officially reached double-digit reviews! After that, I'm really hoping that the number will continue to grow, and that all of you will enjoy the rest of this story as much as you have already – if not more.**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Friend?

She narrowly avoided the pavement, instead managing to land on the grass at the road's edge, landing hard on her right shoulder, and rolled a few feet further away. She could hear Leah screaming for her, yelling her name from the still-open door. But Luna ignored it, as well as the screeching of tires, as her father halted the car to turn back around. She was as good as gone though, standing up, and making a dash for it, into the forest, and out of sight.

Throughout the last few years of her life, Luna had been getting these strange impulses. It always felt as if something was telling her to do stuff – like jump out of a moving car, for example. They either got her into trouble, or out of it. Though it was usually the former. Either way, she always followed them. Like now – she knew she had to _run_.

Her feet were hitting the ground hard, but she didn't even realize that she'd just lost her right shoe. She just scrolled through her mind, things to think about to keep her distracted. She thought of her mother, and her cruelty. How Carmen always got the best, and she was left with scraps. And her dad – yeah he was kind to her, but he never defended her. He would listen to her, but never _do_ anything about her mother.

She let her anger and resentment fuel her energy to keep running. But it also blinded her **(a/****n: no pun intended)** from realizing that her second shoe was coming off. This caused her to lose her footing, and she plummeted to the ground. She extended her arms, scrapping her hands against the small rocks, and fallen pines that littered the forest floor. She didn't make a sound, even when her ankle began to ache, and she found that it had somehow been twisted.

She simply laid there for a moment, breathing through clenched teeth to keep from crying out in pain. Eventually, she managed to slowly push herself up. She grunted in pain when she felt her injured shoulder ache, protesting against her weight as she pushed herself up, and bit her lip to keep quiet when she put pressure on her left foot. The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth, and she grimaced before spitting out a gob of blood. _Yuck!_ She thought. She took a deep, shaky breath, and then continued limping in the direction she had been going in before.

After walking for what felt like hours – though it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes – Luna felt the feeling in her gut change and she started in a new direction. She'd admit, this was scary for her; not knowing where she was, where this 'feeling' was taking her or the reason why. Yes, it had taken her to crazy places, and had gotten her into weird situations. But not once had it ever suddenly changed directions, or taken her somewhere she didn't know – it usually led her to things she lost, or helped her find her way to people or places she _knew_. But it was always better to just follow 'it', no matter what – she'd learned that the hard way...

She realized as the ground began evening out beneath, there were less and less trees, before she stumbled onto a paved road. She walked slowly, making sure to listen for cars in case she was on a street, and not the sidewalk. She figured she must have been in some sort of blacktop or empty lot, because the trees were sparse, and the ground was paved. Moving her eyes around the empty space in front of her, she noticed a big blank space.

She began walking towards it, her hand outstretched to keep from running into whatever it was. She figured she looked like some possessed mad woman, and snorted to herself. As is following some 'magical' gut feeling didn't make her made enough. After a few more feet she reached what she had expected – a solid brick wall. Figures that _the Gates_ would have one of these – anything to keep the freaks like her trapped.

She wondered how high it was, and slid her hand up the wall on her toes. She stretched her fingertips, but she knew that the wall was at least a few meters taller than her. Then she rolled her eyes. Of _co__urse_ the wall was higher than her. She was the _definition_ of the word midget. At only five friggin' feet tall, her height had always been a favorite for bullying at her old school. She barley reached the height requirements for ridding in a car without a car seat. She shook her head. That drop out of the car must of messed with her head – why else would she be thinking of something as pointless as her _height_ at a time like this.

Like, he-_llo_. She just jumped out of an SUV, ran through who-knows-how-many acres of forest, and was now lost since, apparently, her freaky 'intuition' had decided to abandon her. And she doubted that her family was looking for her right now. Her mother had probably convinced her father and Leah that she'd be alright, and they were most likely at home by now.

She sighed, wondering how hard her cousin tried to convince Ana to look for the lost girl, and how long it took before she gave up on the argument. Poor Leah, Luna thought. Her cousin was always trying so hard to take care of her, but it never seemed to be enough. That's why she loved her cousin so dearly; she was always trying to win a fighting battle against Ana, for Luna's sake.

Turning, she sighed again and lazily slid down the wall. She just sat there, glancing unseeingly around the empty lot she was in. The only form of life she could find anywhere was the trees scattered around, and the grass surrounding . She let out another, depressing, sigh. For the first time in so long – and she knew it wouldn't be the last – she felt truly, and utterly alone...

* * *

"What the hell?"

Luna started, the sound of an unfamiliar voice waking her from her cat-nap. "What the..." She cocked her head to the side, trying to locate where the voices were coming from.

A sudden beeping sound came from the left of her and she turned her head that way. Slowly, and quietly, she stood up as another, more familiar voice, reached her ears. "It's not working," Lukas..?

"No guys," Said the first voice, this time more panicked and speaking over a chorus of groans, "W-we have to get back inside. If I'm late, my mom will know I ditched to football game!"

Football? Well, she thought, it looked like Lukas and his friends had finally convinced Brett to join them. Too bad his first night with them had to end in chaos. From what she heard, they'd gotten locked out somehow. But how did that happen? What would they be doing outside _the Gates_? Luna was wondering if they were even aloud outside. _Apparently not_, she thought, _seeing as how Brett is having a panic attack._

"Okay, um…" his voice snapped her attention back to the matter at hand. "You see those branches over there?" He said, "If I hit it just right the cameras will never see me." What?

"So, you're gonna jump?" She heard Lukas ask.

Okay, _what_? Now she was really confused. She _knew_ that this wall was too high to jump, even for someone who was taller than her. "You got a better idea?" Brett asked.

She figured it was time to make herself known, otherwise she'd get caught, and it could mean big trouble if these guys were hiding something. The last thing she wanted was to get on their bad sides. "I could just, _open_ the gate for you," She said, dragging her hand across the wall as she walked, and turning to face them when her hand reached an iron bar.

She felt their panic spike and smiled timidly, wanting to show them that she meant no harm. "Luna!" She heard another familiar voice gasp.

"Lexie?" She said, "You're here too?"

"Yeah," Lukas was the one who answered, his voice guarded and steely. Then he said rudely, "You look like you just got hit by a damn car."

Luna's smile turned somewhat bitter and she tilted her head down to hide her face. She swallowed, before turning her head back up. "Like I got hit by one, no," She said, sarcasm detectable beneath her voice. "Like I jumped _out_ of one, however…" She trailed off. A few of these guys seemed impressed, two of them angry, and one – Brett – just anxious to leave.

"You…._what_!" Yup. Lexie was definitely one of the angry ones.

Luna shrugged sheepishly. Lexie's tone was that of a worried mother, and it felt strange to her having someone other than her cousin speak to her that way. "I had a disagreement with my mother…"

"So you jumped out of a car!"

Luna flinched. She didn't expect Lukas to be the one to reprimand her, and it hurt to have him yell at her. No. He wasn't yelling, but his voice was hard, and had just caught her off guard. But it was still weird, and she felt her chest tighten for some reason. "Look," She sighed, wanting to shake the feeling off, "You want in, or not." Not waiting for a response, she continued, "Now, how do I open this thing?" She shook the bar that was still in her hand for emphasis.

"The latch is to your right," Lexie instructed her, "Push it towards us to open it.'

Luna nodded and moved both hands to her right over the bars. She found what she was looking for and smiled as she figure out the lock. She pushed it open and stepped aside, observing the bodies that passed by her. There were five in total – Lukas, Brett, Lexie, and two others she did not recognize. They all had the same thing in common as Lukas and Lexie; they all had auras extending at least two feet from their bodies. But she barley considered it when she realized something else. Their energy levels – even of those she'd already seen before – seemed to have shrunk down to the level of an average human's.

Another thing was the color. Instead of its usual bright red, Lexie's aura was a deep blue; which made Luna wonder who – or _what_ – she held so much loyalty for. Lukas' aura was still a scarlet color, but she could feel more of his suppressed rage more clearly, as well as a sense of…leadership? _Wow_, she thought,_ this guy must be a _lot_ cockier than I thought_.

"Thanks Luna,"

Her attention was brought back to Lexie, who was now at her side with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Ow. She tried not to show her pain; it was the same shoulder that had been hurting since her 'escape'. She noticed that they were alone now – it was just them and Lukas, who was standing a few feet away. She barley glanced at him before turning back to Lexie. "Huh?" She asked, feeling bad for not paying attention.

"I said thank you, Luna," Lexie said again, "You're a good friend."

_Friend?_ Luna wondered. Sure, she and Lexie had gotten kinda close since they got to know each other, but she figured it was just to keep things from getting awkward or boring when they walked together to and from classes. To tell the truth, she hadn't really seen their relationship as more than a blind girl and her guide, companions at most. But was that really what Lexie saw them as? As friends? "Huh?" she asked again, clueless.

Lexie let out a giggle, but frowned when she heard Lukas growl. It was just low enough that only she was supposed to hear it, but when she felt Luna tense under her arm – which was now draped across her shoulder – she remembered that she wouldn't of been the only one to hear him. "Are you crazy?" She mouthed to him. He had to of known about Luna's sensitive ears.

"She's not our _friend_ until we know we can trust her," He said, ignoring Lexie. "Are you going to tell anybody about this?" He directed at Luna. "About us being in the woods?"

This was why he had sent the rest of the pack off. Because if he felt she couldn't keep quiet, the he'd have to make _sure_ she stayed quiet – permanently. Something like this couldn't get out. To anybody. Because he knew that it would eventually get to his father, or someone else that would _tell_ his father, and he could kiss _the Gates_ goodbye. And if he had to keep her quiet, he couldn't have any witnesses to rat him out, and say he kill a human on the inside. He just wasn't sure about Lexie, but he didn't think she would sell him out because of a human.

Luna turned her head down to the side, thinking about what to say. She was practically alone out here with him. The others were long gone, and Lexie's guilt and uneasiness told her that she wouldn't be much help if Lukas threatened to hurt her – whether she wanted to or not. And anyway, she may have just made her first true friend since...ever. And why on Earth would she want to jeopardize _that_.

She shrugged, turning her head back up in the direction of Lukas' form of bright red furry. "Why would I?" She said simply. Lexie felt like she would've visibly relaxed, and he seemed to calm down – just a little. "It's none of my business," she continued, "And what would I say? I just happened to run into a group of teenage delinquents after jumping out of my father's moving SUV, and running through almost two miles of woods during a lockdown? Don't think so!" He couldn't help it, and let out a chuckle at the same time Lexie giggled.

"Besides," She continued, reaching up and squeezing Lexie's hand, which was still around her shoulders, "What kind of a person would I be if I snitched on my new friends?"

Lexie smiled and gave the smaller girl a hug, pulling back when Luna flinched. "Come on," she said, that mothering tone hidden in her voice again, "Lets get out out of here."

Luna relaxed as her new friends lead her home, Lukas walking in front as the other girl stayed with her.

* * *

_**A/N: And DONE! Again guys, I am so sorry about the wait. I will try my very best to get the next one out soon. If I try hard enough, and get enough reviews, I just might be motivated into posting two chapters next time. Also, for any who have yet to notice, I posted the rest of the pics for all my OC's. There should be no problem with them, except for Carmen's. For that one you may have to copy the URL, but other than that, let me know what you think.**_

_**And I also have a bit of a challenge for you guys. It's not mandatory, just something I came up with for those who are interested, or are like me, and just have no life out of fan fiction. I was wondering it any of you would be into making a banner/poster type thing for this story? It's an idea David (go back to the author's note in chapter two, "Dream" if you wish to know who I speak of) had given me, but I know crap about making banners, so I thought some of you may be interested. **_

_**If you are, just put it in your review, or PM me. I'll be really happy if you do, but wont mind if you don't. Like I said, it's meant to be a fun thing.**_

_**Until next time, my lovelies!**_


	9. Cripple

**A/N: OMG! I am SO sorry. I have a good reason for being late this time though: My mom was in an accident (someone rear-ended her), so I stayed with her in the hospital. The doctors had been going in and out of her room, taking blood samples and doing tests on her for three days straight. She's home now though, safe and sound. So I was finally able to write without being worried about her, cause if I'm distracted, my writing is crap.**

**Anyway I really like this chapter, 'cause I find it gives more of an insight to how Lukas views Luna and her 'disability'. I really hope you guys enjoy it, and also, I apologize to anyone who finds the word cripple offensive. I am not prejudice, or against anyone who may be – or is related to/friends with someone who is – disabled or handicapped, and I really hope that no one minds the title for this chapter. And now that that is all good and done with...**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Cripple

After Lukas and Lexie had retrieved their bikes, it had only taken them a few minutes to find an effective way to guide Luna without having to make a second trip to come back for them. One of them would ride their bike ahead for a short distance, as the other led their blind tag-along, walking their bike while she kept her hand on the seat. Then, after about a mile they would switch, so that the one with her wouldn't get too tired walking with her.

Currently, Lexie was walking her bike in front of Luna, the other girl following quietly behind, while Lukas rode his bike, turning back and circling around them every few seconds so as not to go too far ahead of them. They eventually made it to the main road that lead to the houses within _the Gates_, Lukas and Lexie having switched positions at least twice since that. "Okay," Said Lexie, turning her attention to the girl next to her, "So where do you live, Luna?"

Luna recited the address Leah had given to her as Lukas stopped on his bike next to them. "That's right on my street, I think." He instantly regretted opening his mouth, because as soon as he spoke, Lexie's eyes lit up. He knew what that meant – babysitting.

"Could you..?" she didn't even have to finish the question before he started rolling his eyes and nodding.

"Let's go, Luna," He practically groaned.

Luna stepped back from Lexie's bike and turned in the direction on Lukas' voice, waiting for him to get off his bike and place her hand on its seat. Lexie hopped on her bike, grinning at her alpha with an impish smile while he stared at her through narrowed eyes. She couldn't help the giggle that left her lips when he made the motion of cutting off someone's neck – obviously her own. She rode off, calling back, "See you later," before disappearing down her own street.

Luna had a strange sense of de-ja-vu; this little interaction reminded her a lot of her first day in school. She smiled to herself as Lukas gripped the handlebars of the bike and began walking.

* * *

Lukas wasn't good with silence. For someone who knew what he was, they might think that with being able to hear a car's engine from a mile away, he'd enjoy silence every once in a while. Well he did, just not when he was walking with someone so quiet he'd suspect they were a bloodsucker – it made him uneasy. This was why he nearly sighed in relief when Luna broke the silence. What she said, however, caught him off guard. "You must be getting pretty fed up with Lexie always dumping me on you, huh?"

He quirked an eyebrow, turning to looked back at her, and wondering what would cause her to say that. It's not like he ever really complained about it. "What do you say that?" He asked.

She shrugged, keeping her empty gaze straight ahead and away from him. "I dunno," She mumbled, "You just never seem too thrilled about having to help Lexie with me. I guess I just figured that you were more like the type who mocked cripples – not help them."

Suddenly, the bike fell from under her hand, making her stumble. He caught her by the shoulders, though not very gently. "Is that really how you think of yourself?" His voice was nearly a low growl, and she could clearly hear – and feel – the danger it radiated. "Do you really see yourself as just that? A cripple!" She could tell his face was just centimeters from hers by the feel of his breath on her own, and it was distracting her from his questions. "Why?"

She closed her eyes, opening her mouth slightly. Again, she couldn't help but think of how familiar he felt to her. Especially being this close to him now, even the danger of it felt familiar. The familiarity of this situation was nearly as overwhelmingly wonderful as his warm breath. She knew she wasn't thinking straight – why else would she be so comfortable in such a position? She was ignoring the danger, but at this moment – she couldn't give a fuck.

It was only when Lukas shook her that she finally snapped out of her trance-like state. "Answer me!" His voice was still low, nowhere close to yelling, but his tone seemed to change to a pleading one.

"I-I…" She swallowed, trying to clear away the haze from her mind. Finally, she breathed, "my mom…"

Lukas let go of her then, chuckling humorlessly. That, she had to admit, was the scariest part of her night so far. His hollow laugh reminded her of someone else's. _Two_ someone's actually. Her mother's, and someone else. Someone from something she didn't dare remember. She'd been trying to forget it since the night that-

She squeezed her eyes shut, and fisted her hands at her sides, trying – wanting – to keep those memories blocked. It only worked though, when Lukas' laughing stopped, and he picked the bike back up. "So you only think of yourself as a cripple, because of your _mother_?"

Luna opened her eyes, and relaxed her shoulders and hands before nodding, "Uh-huh…" She breathed, tentatively placing her hand back on the bike's seat.

Lukas scoffed, and began pushing his bike again. "So stupid," he mumbled, not expecting her to hear it.

But she did, and she didn't like it. She gripped the seat tightly with both hands and halted, causing Lukas to stop as well. "Excuse me?" she asked through gritted teeth. "I am _not_ stupid," angry tears seemed to burn in her eyes, "You know _nothing_ about me. You have no right! You don't know what it's like! You can't imagine how-"

He moved fast, and was suddenly in front of her again, still holding on to the bike this time with his right hand. He cut her off by grabbing the back of her head with his free hand, and tilted her head up so as to look her in the eyes. She let out a loud yelp, surprised by the sudden action and overwhelmed by the wave of anger and frustration she felt engulf her through their contact. "You mean how it feels to just how much your parent could hate you?" He growled, "How much it hurts, knowing that no matter what, no matter what you do or how hard you try, you'll always be your parent's greatest disappointment? _Besides_ being born!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

Lukas was almost glad that she was blind, because he knew that, by now, his eyes were a burning, golden color. "Yeah Luna," he said, his voice becoming quiet again, gentler. "I think I _can_ imagine..."

If he said anything else after that, she wasn't hearing him anymore. Once again, she felt his face only inches from hers; and, once again, his warm breath fanned across her face, filling her mind with a thick haze. Her own breathing was coming out in short puffs, bringing about a similar reaction from Lukas when it hit his face.

He just stared at her. This close, he could see how her pale, silvery eyes looked like exact replicas of a full moon. Her skin was nearly translucent, were it not for the rosy blush spread across her cheeks. And her lips...He had to swallow. Other than a small cut she probably got at some point after jumping out of her car, they where a perfect strawberry red.

He found himself leaning in.

Luna felt his lust – as well as her own – consume her, and she slowly rose up on her toes. She felt his nose brush lightly against hers and closed her eyes, letting out an almost-silent sigh. But she instantly regretted it, when it seemed to snap him out of his own trance.

He turned around, gripping the handlebars on the bike with whitened knuckles, and took a deep breath. "Let's get you home," he spoke in a low, hoarse voice. He cleared his throat, and started walking again.

Luna sighed, following quietly. What the fuck was _that_? Why in the world was she about to kiss him? She shook her head, frustrated with herself. She tried not to think about it – key word, _try_. Instead she thought back to what he had been saying before, working past the fog that had been tampering with her sanity.

She vaguely remembered him saying something about knowing how she felt. What did that mean? Did _his_ mom enjoy making his life miserable as well? She mentally snorted, for some reason doubting it. Well then, had he meant someone else spends their time ruining his life? She couldn't imagine that. He always acted like he was top dog or something; and, there was probably a good reason behind it too. She doubted anyone would be brave – or stupid – enough to try and taint Lukas Ford's ego. Unless it really was one of his parents...

She couldn't help but feel sorry for him then. She would hate to think that the only reason he was so bitter, and such a dick, was because of how his family treated him. She nearly shivered at the thought of herself, so hateful and bitchy because of her mother – she didn't want to be like _Carmen._ She wished she could help Lukas find a way of letting go of all his spite, and raw anger. She didn't want him to be in such pain – it almost hurt her. Thinking like this though, somehow brought her mind back to the almost-kiss.

She'd actually kind of liked the way he had held her, despite it's meaning to frighten her. All she felt was how..._intimate_ it seemed. And the feel of his breath, caressing her skin – she nearly shivered in pleasure, just thinking about it. Also, when his nose brushed against her own, it–

_Stop right _there_, Luna!_ The little voice in the back of her mind yelled. When did it get so annoying? She wondered.

She sighed loudly – Lukas didn't react, so he must have been trying to ignore her – and shook her head. That little voice was right, and she hated that. She should not be thinking of him – of _that_ – this way. It would be bad, and she would only be hurting herself. Luna was not the type of girl who would go, falling for the neighborhood bad-boy. Therefore, she should not feel a _thing_ for Lukas – or that stupid almost-kiss.

But if it were true, and she didn't feel for him, why did it feel like her chest was being ripped open, as soon as he pulled away?

* * *

**So sorry again for being late, and for leaving you with such a short chapter, but please review, and I'll try to make the next one longer!**


	10. Secret

_**A/N: **_**I am **_**SO**_** depressed. I just found out that they actually **_**CANCELLED**_** the **_**Gates**_**…Well I think we can fight this! We should write letters, or Emails. People with Twitter, MySpace, or Facebook should spread the word. We must bring back the**_** Gates**_**!**** Otherwise, we may never ****find out what happened to Charlie, we won't know where Andie left, whoever was calling for Leigh will remain a mystery, and the Monohans' reaction to their new "supernatural family member" would be left unsaid. We **_**MUST**_**. Bring. The**_** Gates**_**. Back!**

**Also, on a happier note; I finally made a Twitter! I'm on there as Chibi-Crazy. I know, I don't have the most original name, but I like it. I find chibis to be very cute! So go ahead. Find me, follow me. I may update things on there about my stories.**

**And, back to th****e topic of the **_**Gates**_**, does **_**ANYONE**_** have an idea of what Charlie was turned into? Because if not, I might be able to work around that scene for the ending of this story.**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Secret

The next morning, Luna woke up feeling miserable. The end to her night had begun alright. Lukas was kind enough to walk her right up to her door, but had to take off as soon as he did so they wouldn't get caught together. After that, things seemed to go downhill. As soon as she stepped into the house, she was ambushed by her father and Leah questioning her and checking her over for serious damage, and her mother's outrage. Carmen, who had been at the football game the whole time, was just confused, but smug about her sister being in trouble – again.

When she woke up, her father was still upset – she'd gotten an hour-long lecture from him and Leah – and Leah wouldn't leave her side. Even for using the bathroom, her cousin would follow, and wait outside the door. Leah's excuse was that she thought she would start jumping out of second story windows next – Luna was sure she was at least half-serious. Her mother had left for work, while Carmen was jealous her sister was getting attention the whole morning.

She could practically hear the chorus of Hallelujahs when her saving grace showed up around noon. Luna had been sitting on her couch, once again listening to her _Runt_ – with Leah of course watching from the floor – when the doorbell rang. "Stay put!" Leah ordered, and Luna could just imagine her cousin pointing an accusing finger at her, which made her stifle giggle.

She nodded stiffly, not trusting herself _not_ to laugh at her own imagination, and pushed the stop button on her CD. Taking out one of her headphones, she listened for whoever was at the door, not yet realizing that there was a familiar essence right outside. She only had to wait a second though, when her cousin opened the door, to find it was her new friend at their home. "Hey, Lexie!" she heard Leah greet, "How goes it? Come on in!"

Luna stood up and walked to the door, standing behind her cousin. She could 'feel' Lexie, who was still standing outside the house. She was being hesitant, but not about entering the house. "Actually," she said, clearing her throat, "I'm not really here for a visit."

The younger girl cocked her head to the side as she cousin said, "Oh?"

"Yeah," said Lexie, "I'm here to pick Luna up?" It sounded more like a question, and Luna could tell it was because her friend felt unsure about what she was doing. "My friends and I wanted her to come hang out with us."

She felt Leah's annoyance, but knew it wasn't being directed at Lexie. More like at the situation in general. "I'm sorry," Leah said, "But after last night, I'm worried about letting Luna out today."

"What happened last night?" Lexie's panic seemed to extend to the heavens, along with a mixture of hurt, anger, and mistrust. It really hurt Luna, to think that she may lose a friend as quickly as she made one.

"Believe it or not," Leah said, tapping her cousin on her head, "This little, _idiota_, jumped out of her father's SUV, _while_ it was in motion! Then, she went and nearly got herself lost in the woods."

Luna heard Lexie's faux gasp, but also felt her relief, indicating that she wouldn't have wanted to hurt her. "Oh my _gosh_! Are you serious?"

She had to bite her lip in order to keep from laughing out loud. Instead, Luna smirked at the other girl's brilliant acting skills. "Yeah," her cousin went on, "She didn't make it home until nearly midnight! With all the cops occupied by that breach, my aunt finally gave up on trying to get them to find her. My uncle and I were worried _sick_!"

"So then how did she get home?" asked Lexie, continuing the charade.

"I-I ran into someone," Luna quickly lied, "A cop that was doing a sweep of the road stopped when he saw me at the tree line, and offered me a ride home," she shrugged, "Of course, being in my position, I had to agree, and he was kind enough to walk me all the way to the door. But since I wasn't in any trouble, and everyone was supposed to be busy at the main gates, he had to leave right away." She turned her head down, eyelids naturally drooping somewhat as she held her breath. She waited, hopping that they'd by her story.

She doubted her cousin would by it, but once again, Lexie was there to rescue her by asking, "So, can she please come? I promise to keep my eye on her!"

"But," Leah hesitated, not sure how to say her words in a way that wouldn't insult anyone, "What could there possibly be for you guys to do, you know, with her? No offense to anyone, but I think whatever she'd be doing out there would be no difference to what she could do here."

"Yeah..." Lexie trailed off, apparently desperate to take Luna with her, "But it would still be nice to have her around. I mean, I love my guys and all, but even I can get tired of all the pointless, testosterone-based ideas that are involved with whatever we do. I think that having another girl, other than me, around would be refreshing for us all."

Leah let out a long, exaggerated sigh, and Luna almost did a victory dance. That happened to be the tale-tell sign that her cousin was giving up an argument. "If you _promise_ to watch her closely..."

* * *

"So what did Lukas send you to fetch me for?" Luna finally asked, after walking in an uncomfortable silence for a few blocks.

Lexie glanced back at the smaller girl, who was following her bike in the same fashion as the night before. "What makes you think I'm here on Lukas' behalf?" She challenged.

Her companion smirked upon hearing her defensive tone. "Lexie, please," she said, "I'm blind. Not deaf, or stupid. I know that both you and Lukas – and most likely the rest of your friends – don't trust me when I say, 'I wouldn't open my mouth about what happened last night. It's none of my business, and it would just get me in trouble, too." She shook her head and shrugged as she spoke.

But thinking about last night, brought up thoughts of _the incident_ for Luna, and she had to drop her head down to the side in order to hide her blush. Her mind clouded itself with that annoying fog just from thinking about it! If Lukas Ford wanted to kill her – well, those confusing mixed signals of his just may do the job.

Lexie's sigh brought her out of her thoughts, and Luna's paranoia increased at the anxiousness and guilt she detected. "You're right;" her friend admitted shamefully, "Lukas sent me to get you at your house. I wanted you to meet with us, and since Leah knew me better, he figured it'd be both safer and easier to send me."

"Alright," Luna said, glad that the other girl was sharing now, "But again – why _did_ he?"

Lexie took a deep breath. She sounded like she didn't really want to betray Lukas' request not to say anything, but since it wasn't a real order, she figured it wouldn't hurt to give her new friend a chance to come up with a defense. So she stopped her bike, swallowed, and turned to face her companion. "He's worried," she began, "He thinks that it was too much of a coincidence that you were at the gate, right then and there, where we were. He _reall__y_ doesn't want anyone to suspect what we were doing on the outside – none of us do – and he thinks that you somehow followed us there."

"But that's imp-"

"I know," Lexie interrupted, placing one hand on Luna's shoulder, "And I know it's stupid, and I _am_ sorry, but Lukas is on edge – which worries the rest of us."Cause if word _does_ get out, and it reaches our parents, we're all screwed." she paused and swallowed, "But Lukas will get the worst of it."

This time Luna swallowed. She was beginning to understand now, exactly _why_ Lukas was so angry and _who_ made it that way. One or more of the adults in these kids' lives – his own parents, most likely – hurt him, in probably several forms of abuse. The easiest way for him to release that pain, she figured, was by hurting others in retaliation. She stayed quiet as she pondered this, and silently continued on with Lexie again.

* * *

Eventually, they made it to their intended destination – a simple, empty parking lot, as Lexie explained. Luna could 'see' several bodies of red, each in varying in different shades of red, but all due to their excess energy. It was then that she realized Lexie's own aura was slowly progressing back to its original scarlet tint, as she was guided onto the paved lot. Once they were nearly in the center, they were surrounded by the youngsters that were on – from what she could assume – their bikes. Among them, was Lukas himself.

When he saw them coming down the street, he'd stopped and stared at Luna. On the outside, one would have thought he was just glaring at her; but, on the inside, he was trying to figure out what it was about her that had him so _obsessed_. She'd been on his mind since this morning – heck, since last night – even as he sent Lexie to go get her. He kept telling himself it was only because he was worried about the pack – and himself. But now that he saw her again, all his reasoning just flew out the window.

As soon as the girls were far enough onto the lot, Lukas moved in front of them. They stopped, and Lexie joined the rest of the pack in forming a wide circle around Luna. She displayed her discomfort, holding one arm placed across her torso as her other hand nervously fingered the pretty stone hanging from her choker. Looking at her, so vulnerable and anxious, he allowed himself to feel a tad-bit of guilt for making her feel that way, before turning back to Lexie. "Well?" He asked.

"Nothing," was her reply, "Her cousin told me what she and the rest of their family know. She gave them no details, or names." He glanced back at their 'captive', staring at her for a moment as she sent a look of hurt in Lexie's direction. "Apparently she was just wandering around the tree line until a random cop brought her home."

"Are you done yet?" Luna finally spoke up, clearly upset, "If you wanted to know all this, you just had to ask." She paused a moment and swallowed, "Do you really distrust me that much? Because I already said, whatever was going on isn't my business. I _know_ how to keep secrets." She lowered her head, mumbling to herself, "It's not like my family listens to me anyway."

Lexie looked almost looked heartbroken, Lukas noted. He realized that both girls had already gotten pretty close in the short week they had spent together. In a way, he'd gotten pretty attached to this girl too – but _not_ obsessed. Either way, he would never admit it out loud, especially with the pack in front of them. With that thought, he made a gesture with his hand, flicking it to the side, and the pack dispersed.

He saw her visibly relax once the others had left, and again felt bad for making her feel that way. He wouldn't apologize though, not until it was just the two of them. "It's just hard," he said, "Trusting outsiders – people who we aren't familiar with. You're new here and Lexie is the only one who really knows you. Everyone else here, the people who have lived in the _Gates_ for a while now, know that we tend to keep to ourselves. Everybody likes their privacy; I guess we just don't want to attract too much attention."

Luna nodded when he finished. "Okay. Alright," she sighed, not as mad anymore. She had a feeling that their privacy wasn't all they were protecting. They obviously had a secret – one much similar to hers – and knew how much it hurt having to work so hard to keep yourself hidden from the world, so she could respect that. Maybe if she was patient, they would one day share with her, and she would tell them about her family too – someday. "When you put it that way..." She trailed, "I think I can understand."

She smiled at them, and was relieved that both he and Lexie were much calmer. She heard the subtle squeak of the tires as Lexie moved over to her, still holding onto her bike, and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much, Luna," She said. When she moved back again, she asked. "So now what?"

Luna cocked her head to the side in a curious manner. "What do you mean?" she asked, 'staring' blankly at the space between the other two teens.

"Well," Said Lukas, "If Lexie here told your cousin what I asked her to, then she must think that you would be here for a while. Don't you think that it would be suspicious if yow net home as soon as you got here?"

"Besides," Lexie added, "With the way Leah was acting; I'm betting you'd like to avoid seeing her again too soon." Luna winced, but nodded. "But the problem is that…well, I'm not sure what you'd be able to do here…considering…"

Luna smiled in understanding, nodding. She got that Lexie still wanted her around, but she also wanted to be cautious about how to treat her, "I wouldn't mind just sitting out here." She said, her tone forgiving. "So long as I'm not in your way, or stuck back at my house." She shuddered playfully, displaying her distaste in suffering under Leah's watchful eyes. "Just help me find some grass, or a tree to sit under?"

Lexie giggled at Luna's pathetic attempt at Bambi eyes – even Lukas let himself a chuckle. It actually looked more creepy than cute, due to her strange eyes. As the third wheel pedaled off on his bike, Lexie took her hand, and walked to one of the trees surrounding the lot. "Her you go," said the taller girl, "Some grass, _and_ a tree." Luna giggled as she sat down, enjoying the feel of the scratchy texture of the grass.

She thanked Lexie as her friend walked off, and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. She simply stayed like that, enjoying the warmth of the sun rays that seeped through the think branches. She sat eyes closed, and pondered, thinking about the other's actions and behaviors. She thought of how different they were to her than most humans. They were more…unique.

It was so obvious to her now, that these 'people' had a secret. Maybe everyone here did – which brought back the possibility that Frank Buckley really did know about her family. She was willing to bet that even Buckley himself had a secret. But then..Is that what the _Gates_ really was – a cluster of the world's supernatural freaks?

She sighed and opened her eyes, tilting her head back towards the leaves of the tree. She 'saw' it, looming over her. It was literally a silver lining, against a black back drop. She sighed again, sounding more depressed this time. She couldn't even see shadows, of shades of light, like other blind people could. Were it not for her 'sight', she feared she'd be trapped in a world of darkness – her own personal windowless cage. She shook her head, getting back on track.

She had known there was something different about Lukas and the others since her first day of school. From the moment she saw Lexie's aura, and felt _all_ the energy – and anger – within Lukas' body, she'd been suspicious of them. She wanted to know _so bad_ just what _kind_ of different they were, though. She didn't even know how it was possible to want to find something out so badly; so much so that she wondered if there was something else powering this need. Either way, she knew that her goal was to find out their secret.

But right now, she was tired, and was feeling drained. She turned over to her stomach, and decided that taking a short nap wouldn't hurt her new mission. She had gotten up early today, because Lukas had been on her mind for most of the night and her rising suspicion had kept her up. She closed her eyes, thinking of what to do to learning more about her friends, as well as the secret of the _Gates._

* * *

_**Okay guys, I'm really sorry about the long wait. Things have been **__**hectic**__**, and I'm updating at school (which shows how desperate I was to get this chapter up). Forgive me if the end of this chapter seemed rushed, because it is. But I **_**did**_** do my best to make it longer…**_

_**Anyway, once again forgive me, while I come up with a way to make it up to you….REVIEW!**_


	11. Apology

**A/N: Good news and bad news. Bad news first: I think its safe to say that I have given up on trying to get these chapters in on time. But on the bright side, I shall still push myself to finish this story, even if I kill myself doing so ^.^! Oh! And also, I found somewhere that the **_**Gates**_** was **_**un**_**officially canceled, which means it still has a chance!**

**Also, I recently posted my first fic on . It's called **_**Keep Holding On**_**. I have the same pen name on that site, so you can find it on my profile. Please check it out. Its just a side project, meaning this story will be my main priority, but I would still like to get some publicity for that fic too.**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Apology

Luna was vaguely aware of the presence that had appeared next to her. She payed no mind to it though, being too tired to really care, and rolled onto her back, moving her arm under her head to get comfortable. "Luna..." Again, she ignored the sounds and movements around her.

But the owner behind the voice was persistent, and she was suddenly splashed with water. She let out a loud squeak – not really being one to scream – and shot up, hands going to her now-wet hair. "What the hell!"

"Hiya!"

She glowered from the corner of her eye in the direction of his purposely cheery voice. She glared as his deep red form plopped down next to her. "Jerk" she grumbled angrily.

Lukas just chuckled at her, glad he had carried that water bottle. Seeing her like this was actually cute. Yes, he was admitting this and any other thought of Luna freely – to himself. He still wouldn't say anything about it out loud...or to anyone else. "I'm sorry," he chuckled.

"Obviously not," she grumbled, "Stop laughing!"

He managed to catch himself, coughing over his next chuckle. She caught it though, but cracked a small smile. She smooth her hair as best she could, and brought her legs up to her chest. Folding her arms on top of her knees, she tilted her head in his direction and asked, "Was there a motive behind getting me all wet?"

He smirked, mostly to himself and not carrying that she couldn't see. "Oh, so your saying I make you wet?" he teased, "Damn, you really are a little whore, aren't you?"

Her mouth dropped, and her normally ivory skin turned a dark shade of scarlet. "I-I-" she sputtered, "But you-I didn't mean..!" She swallowed, too mortified to speak. _That bitch!_ she thought, burying her face between her knees. She was thinking of her mother, who'd insult her and call her names much like Lukas just had.

Lukas chuckled again, at first not realizing how upset his comment had made her. He'd looked away when her sputtering had started, but now that he looked back at her, he frowned. Her face was hidden, and her shoulders shaking. "Luna?"

He hadn't meant to make her cry, dammit! But he wasn't sure what to do now. The only person he'd ever had to comfort was his mom when his dad was the one to make her cry. Yet even then, all he could ever do was awkwardly hug her, something her wouldn't dare do with this girl. He basically just wasn't the comforting type.

Anyway, there were plenty differences between this situation and those. For one, he didn't know this girl as well; whatever relationship they had was just them getting along at school. He also knew whatever Lexie would say of her, but not much from her personally. For another thing, he was always with his mother within the privacy of their own home, where as her and Luna were out in public – in front of the pack, no less.

With that thought, he glanced around. Most of the pack had been due back home by now, so only Lexie and a few others remained. His attention was also drawn to Chief Monohan and the cruiser he'd just pulled up in. It seemed like he and the deputy he'd brought along seemed to be scanning the lot for something, glancing occasionally at the remaining pack members riding their bikes.

So no one was really looking at the two of them then. That was good. He looked back at Luna, whose head was back on top of her knees, with tear streaks on her face and her torso convulsing with suppressed sobs. Seeing her like that just made him feel worse, and something in his chest seemed to tighten. Glancing around quickly again, he tentatively reached his hand out and moved his arm around her shoulders.

Luna started, surprised by the gesture. Her top was an off-the-shoulder style, so their skin was able to make contact, and she was washed over by a wave of regret and...pain? Did hurting her hurt him too? _Wow_, she thought, _this guy must be taking bipolar pills_. "Lukas?" she questioned, sitting up and calming her hysterics.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled quickly.

"Excuse me?" she'd heard him. She just wanted to see if he really meant it – and extract a bit of revenge.

"I said, I'm sorry," there was an edge to his voice that said he knew what she was up to.

"One more time, please?" she teased, a smirk tugging at her lip.

"I'm sorry! Okay?" Yeah, she thought, though now he was just annoyed about it.

But that didn't mean she was done yet. "For what?" she asked innocently.

"For-!" he took a breath, calming himself, "For everything," he sighed, sounding upset.

She cocked her head towards his direction. His mood swings were beginning to give her whiplash. She turned her body to face his, folding her legs under her body Indian-style. "Pardon?" she asked quietly, all traces of teasing gone.

He sighed again and paused, taking a moment to collect himself. He swallowed loudly before he began. "I'm sorry about all the wrong, that I've done to you." he said, keeping his voice up, and speaking clearly. "Even for what happened last night;" she hoped he didn't mean about kissing her, "It was wrong for me to raise my voice and yell at you." guess not, "I guess I just..." he sighed once more, thinking about what he was about to say.

"Okay look;" he began again, "I'm not trying to put you down – someone else already seems to have that job -" she grimaced at that, "but a girl like you, not meaning your eyes, really _must _be pathetic if your letting people put you down so easily, and then _believe_ it. For you to think you're a cripple;" he sighed – as he'd been doing frequently – and was most likely shaking his head, "Trust me, you're _not_. In fact, you don't even _act_ blind." He paused in his speech, "And...I'm sorry about just now. The whole water bottle thing, I mean," he chuckled, "I just couldn't think of a better way to wake you up." at this, even she chuckled. "Also that comment I made..." he trailed off, sounding unsure.

"It's fine," she brushed it off, nodding, "I guess I'm just sensitive to comments...like that" she swallowed.

"Mind if I ask why?"

She smiled ruefully and shook her head, "I'd rather not say. Sorry..."

They slipped into a comfortable silence for a while after that. Soon enough, Lukas noticed the Chief leave, as well as the rest of the pack. Now only Lexie and two others remaind. Checking the time on his phone, he saw it pretty close to two o'clock. They'd been here longer than he thought. "You hungry?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"No..." he knew she was lying, even before her stomach suddenly growled.

He snorted, rolling his eyes at her fail attempt. Her cheeks turned a rosy-red and he smirked at the sight, chuckling under his breath. He stood up, catching Lexie's eye and waved her over. "Are you hungry yet?" he asked, once she came up to them, "i was thinking we could go get some frozen yogurt?"

Lexie looked to Luna, who was still on the ground, before the smaller girl's stomach rang out again. "Sure," she chuckled out, shaking her head.

Lukas nodded, and leaned down for Luna. She jumped when his arm wound around her waist and pulled her to her feet. He pinched her side curiously, earning from her a strangled squeak. She shied away from his hand, but that lead her to sink further into his side, for that arm was still around her. "What the hell!" she demanded.

He ignored her, asking, "Don't you ever eat? A full grown _cat_ weighs more than you." He exaggerated, earning a snort from both girls. "What?"

"She's a vegetarian," Lexie explain as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Or haven't you noticed? She doesn't eat anything with meat, just rabbit food!"

Luna raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. "I eat _fish_," she defended, "And...rabbit food?"

"Yeah, cause eating carrots really helped improve your eyesight," Lukas said sarcastically.

Neither one could help it – Luna wasn't even insulted – and both girls burst into fits of laughter. He rolled his eyes at them, before dragging Luna off to where he'd left his bike.

* * *

A while later, the three of them found themselves sitting at a table outside the yogurt shop, each with there choice of frozen yogurt. Lexie and Luna were conversing to themselves, laughing at one thing or another, as Lukas sat glancing between the two of them, his eyes lingering on Luna every time. He sat leaning back in his chair, pondering the reason for it. Maybe he was starting to like her – in a way he would never admit out loud – since he had a hard time convincing himself otherwise. _She just _gets_ it_, he thought, thinking of the similarities between their home lives. _Her good humor, quick wit and –_ glance – _beauty...are just a bonus..._

But that didn't matter, nor could it. She was human, and couldn't get involved with him. His family and the pack – they would kill him for this. For putting them at risk for getting too close to a human. Even she would be in danger. He swallowed as her thought of that. And either way, it'd make him look like a hypocrite – pestering Brett for going out with Andie, then turning around and hanging out with Luna?

Well, he supposed, that was exactly what he was doing now, right? But it didn't really count, because Lexie was with them – meaning this wasn't some date. But did he want it to be?

He shook his head, clearing it of those ridiculous thoughts. He looked around, doing an inspection of the area to keep his mind occupied. Scanning the premises for threats – an instinct on his "other side's" behalf. He was surprised when he saw Andie – speak of the devil – not five tables down from there's, along with the police chief's son, Charlie Monohan.

His trademark smirk made it's way to his lips. Oh, this was too good, he thought. Andie was actually cheating on Brett? Hopefully now he could get through to his jock friend. The kiss in the woods was one thing, because the only one who knew about it was himself and – after some shameless gossiping on his part – Brett. But now they were in _public_ together. This girl was either stupid, or _wanted_ her boyfriend to hear it from someone else. If that were the case, he just may grant her wish when they went running tonight – if said boyfriend showed.

Lukas' ever-shifting emotions were giving Luna whiplash. She may have been focused on her and Lexie's conversation, but this guy's feeling were harder to ignore than most – even Lexie's had the same effect. What made it worse was when she kept feeling his eyes on her, and each stare brought with it his fascination, curiosity, and...longing?

Then she felt his sickening sense of helplessness and the longing grew. She was feeling his misery like it was her own – which scared her since it never happened before. She could always separate her own emotions from that of other's. But now, it was like Lukas had a stronger effect on her than even the ones she knew were like him. Unless... she actually _did_ fell the same about him.

His mood became a smug one, and she wished – if not for the hundredth time – that she could see what he did. She knew he wasn't looking at her – she knew how he felt when he was – and was sure he wasn't looking at Lexie, so it left her mind to wonder what had caused the change. _At least he isn't feeling miserable anymore_, she thought.

She cocked her head to the side, more towards Lexie than straight forward, like she had been. She tried to focus on what her friend was saying, but found that Lukas had somehow invaded her train of thought. She couldn't stop thinking about him, and was disappointed in herself for it. She could no longer use her favorite excuse as to why she shouldn't like him – because he was such a total asshole – because by now, she had learned he only was since it was his form of release for his pain. Plus, asshole never really take the time to apologize.

It was too late for her. _Might as well admit it_, she told herself, _You're actually falling for Lukas Ford._

* * *

_**FIN!**_

**Just with this chapter anyway. So sorry if it seemed half-assed part way through. Between school and house work, the only time I could find to work on this was at nearly two o-freaking-clock in the morning! But it you did enjoy it, please tell me in a review so I wont hate myself for ruining this chapter because of sleep deprivation.**

**And again, don't forget to check out _Keep Holding On_. Even if you don't have an account on fictionpress, tell someone who does, or leave an anonymous review...or something.**


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